Pokémon: The Quest for Misty
by MarioBoss365
Summary: After an argument goes too far, Ash and Misty break their friendship and go their separate ways, without even revealing their true feelings for each other. However after Ash reaches his life dream of becoming a Pokémon Master, he receives word that the Cerulean City Gym has been destroyed... and Misty has vanished! A Pokeshipping Adventure Fan Fic. COMPLETE! First of a trilogy.
1. Hidden Emotions

Hey everyone! I'm MarioBoss365 and this is my first fan fiction and just so happens to be about one of my favorite video game franchises and involving my favorite couple in the series. This story takes place in after Pokémon XY, so in a way its a future fic, but not really. I guess you could count it as the series finale if you wanted. Or you could just treat it as it is: A Pokeshipping Story.

Two notes: I went back and changed the ages of everyone, They are all now three years older than they were in the anime. Also, each chapter in this story begins with Misty remembering her moments with Ash. Most of them will sound pretty familiar.

Warning: Contains AAML. This isn't a romance novel, but if there is a girl Ash should end up with it's Misty. Pokeshipping forever!

Oh, and I don't own Pokémon. If I did, Misty never would've left, she and Ash would be together, and none of the partners after Brock and Dawn would've existed.

Enjoy.

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**Chapter 1: Hidden Emotions**

_It was just another ordinary day when it happened. I was fishing at my favorite spot, hoping to catch yet another water Pokémon. Then I caught something! It seemed heavy! Perhaps it was a Magikarp! Or maybe even a Tentacruel! No, they wouldn't be in these waters. Nevertheless, I was determined to catch it! As hard as I could, I reeled in my fishing line, excited to see my new water type Pokémon. But to my surprise and disappointment, what I had caught was not a Pokémon but a kid, a 10-year old kid who looked as if he had just escaped from something. In his arms was a small, yellow electric Pikachu, which seemed to have been injured badly. Caring only about the welfare of the little yellow mouse, I blamed the kid for its injuries and demanded that he take it to the nearest Pokémon Center in Viridian City. The kid then panicked as an angry flock of Spearow was flying towards him. Without hesitation, he steals my bike I had set beside a nearby tree and rides as fast as he could toward Viridian City. Angrily, I chased after him. Little did I know that doing so would change my life forever. That was the day. The day I met him: … Ash Ketchum._

(End of prologue)

Present Day, Cerulean City…

The sun shined brightly over the beautiful Cerulean City as Tracey Sketchit was on his way to deliver Pokémon food to the Cerulean City Gym. He didn't mind the long walk from Pallet Town. He enjoyed sketching the many Pokémon and their ways of life as he encountered them on his journey. Besides, he spent most of his time working at Professor Samuel Oak's laboratory back at Pallet Town so it felt good to get out and get some fresh air.

Inside the gym, some water-type Pokémon were enjoying themselves as they played in the gym pool together. Tracey was so intrigued by this that he sat his stuff down and sketched what he saw: a Starme and a Staru were swimming around playing tag with their friend Horsea, a Corsola was dancing in the water while a Politoed gleefully cheered it on, and a confused-looking Psyduck who couldn't swim was floating in its own inner tube. "Water Pokémon are so beautiful, don't you agree?" said a voice from behind. Tracey right away recognized that voice. He turned around and saw his old friend. There she was, Misty Waterflower the Cerulean Gym leader. She had red hair with a side pony tail on the left side of her head. She wore a yellow hoodie and dark blue short shorts. Any boy around her age who saw her had a hard time not staring at her beautiful face that could make any guy weak in the knees. However, Tracey only saw Misty as a friend so any of those feelings weren't there for her. Nonetheless, he was pleased to see his old friend.

"Hey, Misty! Long time no see!"

"Yeah it's been awhile. Thanks for delivering the Pokémon food for me Tracy."

"You're welcome. What are friends for?" As Tracy and Misty started feeding the Pokémon, Tracy noticed how well the gym looked. "Wow, Misty, you really have out done yourself with the place."

"Thanks. Since my sisters left and became full-time models in the Orange Islands, I basically own the place now. So I figured I would fix up the place to how I see fit."

"Well I must say you did a great job. Why, the Pokémon sure seem to be happy with you in charge. You really know what you're doing."

Misty blushed. She hadn't been complimented by a boy without something under his sleeve in a long time. All the guys who have challenged her to a Pokémon battle just wanted to check her out and see if she wanted to go out with him. Sure, they said some sweet and nice things to her, but Misty saw through them and knew what each and everyone of them truly wanted out of her. And she wasn't even the least bit interested. But she knew Tracey pretty well. After all, she and a friend of hers once travelled with him around the Orange Islands. And although there was nothing but friendship between them, they were close enough of friends that she knew he was just complimenting her as her friend. No strings attached.

"You're so sweet, Tracey."

After they finished feeding the Pokémon, Tracey noticed the TV was on. "Hey look at that! The Pokémon World Competition is on it's final round!" Misty picked up her newly-evolved Merill and walked over by Tracey and saw what he was talking about. "And hey, look who made it there!"

"_Here we are folks! The final round of the Pokémon World Competition! And what a completion it has been so far! But the day's not over yet! It is now down to this incredible final showdown: Lance Wataru of the Elite Four vs. Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town! Only time will tell if this young trainer will stand victorious and become a Pokémon Master!"_

The crowds on the screen cheer as two figures come out on to the opposite sides of the stadium. Lance, the Dragon Master of the Elite Four, came from the left side while the young Pokémon trainer from Pallet Town entered from the right with a little yellow Pikachu at his side. Tracy could tell that both the trainer, who just so happened to be a friend of his, and his Pokémon companion looked completely focus and determined to win this life-changing battle for both of them. He knew that both of them had waited a long time for this moment to come and they were not going to let anything get them down.

The referee made his way to the stadium. "_This will be a six-on-six battle with no time limit! Both trainers can only substitute their Pokémon once! Begin-NOW!"_

"_Flygon, I choose you!"_

"_Gliscor, I choose you!"_

The moment both Pokémon entered the stadium, a feeling of excitement came across Tracey's smile. "Ash sure has come a long way since his last Pokémon League Competition. He is sure to win this one! Don't you agree, Misty?"

"…Yeah… Sure…" Misty sighed sadly. Tracy failed to notice the couple of tears that just had fallen from Misty's eyes as she looked away from the TV. She never let Tracy, or anyone for that matter, know this, but the very mention of Ash Ketchum's name, let alone seeing his face on the TV screen, made her want to burst out crying intensely. However, she never wanted her friends to see her in her weak state, so she did her best to keep her emotions and feelings hidden deep inside. As she has done for a long time ever since… that tragic day…

Tracey continued watching the match while Misty went to check the mail, trying to get her mind off the young trainer from Pallet Town. However, one of the letters just made things worst. The letter was from Delia Ketchum, Ash's mother. It read:

_You are formally invited to my son Ash's welcome home and most likely victory party. We will be celebrating all weekend long. Food will be provided by me and Brock Slate. Hope to see you there_

_Delia Ketchum_

As much as she hated to admit it, Misty so wanted to go. It would be great to see her friends whom she hadn't seen in a long time: good ol' Brock, Delia, Professor Oak, May, Max, and even Gary Oak, Ash's former rival. And deep, deep, DEEP down she would give anything to see Ash again. But she couldn't. Not after what happened the last time they were together…

She remembered that day well…

TOO well…

Tracey noticed her holding the letter in her hand and the invitation he had also received. "Oh, so you were invited to Ash's welcome home/victory party, too, huh?'

"Yeah… but I'm not going."

Tracey was surprised. As he had observed when he traveled with them in the Orange Islands, this orange-haired girl was one of Ash's closest friends! Heck, she was his best friend! And here she was, straight out saying she wouldn't attend his welcome home party! "Misty, why-?"

"I'M JUST NOT!" She didn't mean to yell and sound rude, but her emotions were finally taking over. "I'm sorry, but I can't go! I just… can't."

"Does it have to do with being busy with the gym?"

Misty almost lied her way out of this one when considering to say, "Yes! That is exactly it. I will be too busy with the gym this weekend." However, she decided it wouldn't do her any good lying to Tracey In order to deny her feelings and emotions. So in the end, she just shook her head.

"Well then why can't you go? Ash is your best friend… right?"

Misty looked up at him and sighed sadly. "Tracey… A-Ash and I haven't been friends since he left for his Sinnoh journey."

Now Tracey was shocked and confused. What did Misty mean by that? What could possibly happen to cause her and Ash to stop being friends? It's true that the two spent most of the time arguing, but none of the regular arguments they were accustomed to would cause them to break their friendship. Concern for his friend, Tracey turned the TV off and walked over to her. "You want to talk about it?"

"What is really there to t-talk about? A-Ash and I just d-decided not to be friends a-anymore." She started to shed some tears but wiped them from her cheeks before they got out of hand.

"Misty, come on. You guys were so close. No matter how often you two argued back when traveling together, you and Ash were always inseparable. You guys were, if I may, perfect for each other."

Misty couldn't bear to look up anymore without letting him see her tears. "It doesn't matter anymore. That's all in the past. He probably doesn't even remember I exist." After saying the last part she lost control of her emotions and burst into tears. _What's going on?! Ash had really hurt me that day! He said he wished he had never… But then, why?! Why can't I get my mind off him?! Why do I feel so empty inside without the boy who wishes I never existed in his life?! _While deep in this thought process, she buried her wet-with-tears face in her palms. Tracey, being the kind-hearted person he was, tried his best to comfort his friend who barely let her emotions take over.

Tracey thought for a little bit before finally saying, "Misty, please, I want to help you. What exactly happened between the two of you that day?" Tracey knew he couldn't change whatever happened between his two best friends, but he hoped Misty telling him what happened and letting out the hurt could ease her mind and heart a bit. He could tell she has had this hurt caged deep inside for awhile now. She had in fact said that the incident took place before Ash left for his Pokémon journey through the Sinnoh region, and he had since been on two other Pokémon journeys after Sinnoh. Unova and Kalos he believed the regions were called. "Talk to me, Misty."

Misty took a deep breath and looked up at her concerned friend. "Alright, I'll tell you," she began. But before she could go any further, the door bell rang. Tracy got up to answer on account that Misty didn't want to be seen in the current condition she was in. He let to answer the door but turned around to see Misty turning the TV back on. She continued shedding silent tears as she watched Ash choose his fourth Pokémon, Snorlax, on to the stadium.

"You sure you should watch that?"

"I watch it for the Pokémon, not for the competitors," she lied through her teeth. Tracey nodded, sensing she wasn't really telling the truth, and continued toward the front door of the gym. Misty continued watching the Pokémon match as thoughts of that last day with Ash crept into her mind. _It's all my fault! I had pushed him too hard that day! If I didn't he wouldn't have had said those things! We would still be friends! No… that… that still doesn't excuse what he said to me! I… I… I HATE HIM! _She looked up at the TV screen and saw him as he had just won the fourth round of the match. Looking at his face on the screen, she continued crying as one last thought entered her mind. _Oh Ash, _(sniff) _if only you had known the real reason I wanted to meet with you that day…_

"Coming," said Tracey as the door bell kept ringing. He opened the door. "Hello?" No one. Tracey looked around to see where he/she was. No one. Having given up, he closed the door behind him and made his way back to the gym floor. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks when he heard a load, blood-curdling scream from the inside of the gym.

_Misty!_

Tracey ran as fast as he could to the area where he left Misty only a few minutes ago. But he arrived there too late. Misty was gone! He stood there in shock as he saw the terror in front of him: all the Pokémon were badly injured, the TV was on the ground in pieces, shattered glass was all over the place, and worse of all a long trail of blood ran through the gym floor and into the hallway on the opposite side of the gym.

Fearing for the worse, Tracey quickly returned all the Pokémon to their Pokéballs, placed them in his backpack, and then followed the trail of blood, praying it wasn't too late. As he reached the hallway he stopped in his tracks to find TNT and other explosives strapped to the walls and ceiling. And with a timer that had less than ten seconds left! Without hesitation, Tracey ran towards the nearest window and jumped out of the gym just as the building exploded behind him. The impact pushed him about a half a mile away from where the gym had once been.

Tracey cringed in pain as he tried to get up. He checked his backpack to see if the Pokéballs were ok. All of them were intact. He then looked up at the ruins of the once beautiful Cerulean Gym. His mind then wondered off into thoughts of what became of Misty Waterflower, the beautiful 14 year old gym leader of Cerulean City whom he had just spoken to not that long ago. Could she have been inside when the gym blew up? Was the trail of blood from her? Was it too late for her?

Tracey knew he had to call Officer Jenny. As he walked toward to the nearest phone booth, he found a little note by the phone. What it read made Tracey gasp in fear:

_**The Ketchum kid is next...**_

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Well there you have it! Chapter one. Hope you enjoyed it! I should have chapter two up soon. School is almost over so I will have time! Review and let me know what you thought of this story so far. Be nice though, people. Btw, the next chapter will start with a Pokémon battle with Charizard. Post in the comments on what Pokémon you think Charizard should battle. You can suggest a Pokémon from any generation. Well, I gotta split. See ya guys later.


	2. Battle of Destiny

Ok here it is! Chapter 2! I did not expect to get it done so quickly, but I had some free time over the weekend, so I got it done. This chapter has a lot of Pokémon in it. Well, it is a Pokémon fan fic after all. If I messed up the battles in anyways, I apologize. But remember, this is my first fan fiction. So I can learn from my mistakes.

Note: each chapter in this story begins with Misty remembering her moments with Ash. Most of them will sound pretty familiar.

Warning: this is a AAML story. Though not a romance novel, I totally believe that Ash and Misty should be together. Forever. No matter how long. From now until the end of time. (REFERENCE!) I believe in Pokeshipping!

And again, I don't own Pokémon. If I did, Ash would win competitions a lot more than he loses.

Enjoy

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**Chapter 2: Battle of Destiny**

_"WAH! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR BIKE?!"_

_"YOU HAPPENED TO MY BIKE!"_

_I had found what was left of my bike in the middle of the forest the very next day. As it turns out, the little thief and his injured Pokémon were attacked by the flock of Spearow there the night before. To protect its master, the little Pikachu used what strength it had left and used a powerful thundershock to scare off the Spearow for good. The impact of the attack had completely turned my bike into burnt charcoal. It was destroyed. I then grabbed the burnt remains, followed the trail to Viridian City and ran towards the Pokémon Center as fast as I could, planning on killing the kid for what he did to my bike. And sure enough, there he was, just getting off the Center's vidphone. I ran furiously over to him, preparing to make my kill. While begging for mercy, the kid explained that he had to "borrow" my bike because his Pikachu was seriously injured and he had to get it to the Pokémon Center as quickly as possible. Seeing that it was an emergency, I let him live. Suddenly, smog filled the center and three villainous figures (a man, a woman, and a talking Meowth) came bursting in, revealing themselves as agents of the evil Team Rocket and threatened to steal all the Pokémon at the Center. Using the Center's electricity and my burnt bike, the newly powered and recovered Pikachu used a superpowered thundershock to send the three villains blasting off. Afterwards, Ash, the kid who stole my bike and destroyed it, thanked the Center's Nurse Joy, took his Pikachu, and headed off on his Pokémon journey. It was then when I made the choice to follow him throughout his journey, vowing to do so until he paid me back for my bike. And to this day, I never regretted my decision. That day, I began my greatest adventure... and my greatest friendship._

Meanwhile, at the Pokémon World Competition...

"This is it, folks! We are down to the final round of the final match of the Pokémon World Competition! Both trainers are down to their sixth Pokémon! We all know the last Pokémon Lance of the Elite Four will use, but which Pokémon will young Ash Ketchum choose from his team?"

Both Ash and Lance get their Pokéballs ready. "Alright Ash, this is it! I'm going all out on this one so don't expect an easy battle!"

"I never do, Lance!"

Lance then released his Pokéball from his grip and cried, "Dragonite, I choose you!" A flash of light sprung from the ball as it hit the ground. Suddenly, the light was replaced by a big orange dragon. It weighted 462 lb (210 kg) and was 7'3" (2.2 m) tall. It had two small wings on its back which still gave it flight despite its size. It had a determined yet calm demeanor on its face. It stomped on to the stadium ready to fight.

Ash smiled. "Ha! I knew you would choose Dragonite for your last Pokémon! So I choose you, Charizard!" Ash then releases his Pokéball, also releasing a flash of light but this time being replaced by a red-orange dragon. This dragon Pokémon was different than Lance's Dragonite. It only weighted 199.1 lb (90.5 kg) and was only 5'7" (1.7 m) tall. However, its wings were big and it had something no Dragonite would ever have: a raging flame on the end of its tail. This Charizard looked fierce and also determined to win this battle.

"Lance has not surprisingly chosen his powerful Dragonite while Ash has chosen his Charizard! This battle will no doubt be a test of power and strength between these two Pokémon! Folks, we are in for a treat!"

(Pokémon Theme Song, _The First Movie_ version by Billy Crawford)

_I want to be the very best_

_Like no one ever was_

_To catch them is my real test_

_To train them is my cause_

_Ooh-ooh-ooh!_

"Dragonite, use Fire Punch!" Responding, Dragonite's fist becomes covered in red-orange flames and aims its fist at Charizard.

"Charizard, dodge and use Flamethrower!" Charizard then dodges the Fire Punch and breathes fire on Dragonite, causing it to lose its balance, but not for long.

_I will travel across the land_

_Searching far and wide_

_Teach Pokémon to understand_

_The power that's inside_

_(Power inside)_

"Dragonite, use Dragon Claw!" Dragonite's claws then glow white and it slashes Charizard in the face, sending it sliding across the stadium.

"Hang in there, Charizard! Use Air Slash!" Charizard gets up and attacks with a blade of air that slices even the sky. Dragonite manages to dodge the attack.

_Pokémon... It's you and me_

_I know it's my destiny_

_(Pokémon!) _

_Ooh, you're my best friend_

_In a world we must defend_

_Pokémon! _

_A heart so true_

_Our courage will pull us through_

_You teach me and I'll teach you_

_Po-ké-mon_

_(Gotta catch 'em) _

_Gotta catch 'em_

_Gotta catch 'em all_

"Now Dragonite, use your Fire Blast!" With Charizard caught off guard, Dragonite takes in a deep breath and releases a ball of yellow-orange fire from its mouth. The ball of fire then turns into a 大-shaped flame that is fired straight at Charizard, causing him to fly backwards.

"Charizard!" Thankfully for Ash, Charizard manages to get back up. "Alright Charizard! Now, use Skull Bash!" Charizard then flies up and strikes the opponent with its head at high speed.

_Ev'ry challenge along the way_

_With courage I will face_

_I will battle ev'ry day_

_To claim my rightful place_

"Now Dragonite, Solar Beam!" Dragonite's eyes glow white and an orange ball forms in front of Dragonite's mouth. The ball turns into a beam and it fires at Charizard.

"Charizard, use _your_ Solar Beam!" Charizard's eyes then glow white and an orange ball forms in front of Dragonite's mouth. The ball turns into a beam and it fires at Dragonite's Solar Beam, causing an explosion.

_Come with me, the time is right_

_There's no better team, yeah!_

_Arm in arm we'll win the fight_

_It's always been our dream_

_(It's always been our dream) _

As the smoke filled the stadium, both Ash and Lance looked around frantically to see their Pokémon were still standing. And sure enough as the smoke cleared both Pokémon stood there, painting and tired but still willing to fight. Dragonite was just a little more tired than Charizard, which was exactly what Ash wanted. "Alright, Charizard!" he said.

_Pokémon... It's you and me_

_I know it's my destiny_

_(Pokémon!) _

_Ooh, you're my best friend_

_In a world we must defend_

_Pokémon... A heart so true_

_Our courage will pull us through_

_You teach me and I'll teach you_

_Po-ké-mon_

_(Gotta catch 'em) _

_Gotta catch 'em_

_Pokémon!_

"Well, Ash, I'm impressed how well you have trained your Pokémon. But it won't save you! Now Dragonite, use Dragon-tail!" A light blue glow spreads up Dragonite's tail, until the whole tail glows light blue. It then aims the tail straight at Charizard.

"Charizard, dodge and use Dragon Rage!" Charizard's eyes glow white, then the flame on its tail grows to a huge size. It then forms a ball of fire in its mouth and releases a fiery inferno at Dragonite, knocking it off guard. "Now finish it off with a Seismic Toss!" Charizard grabs Dragonite, flies into the sky, spins around, zooms back down, and tosses its opponent into the ground for more damage, using the momentum of the dive. Charizard stands back as it watches Dragonite struggle to stand up.

_Pokémon... It's you and me_

_I know it's my destiny_

_Pokémon, ooh you're my best friend_

_In the world we must defend_

_Pokémon... A heart so true_

_Our courage will pull us through_

_You teach me and I'll teach you_

_Po-ké-mon_

_(Gotta catch 'em)_

_Gotta catch 'em _

_Gotta Catch 'em all_

_Pokémon!_

And then it collapsed.

"Dragonite is unable to battle! Charizard wins! The winner of the match and the competition is Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!" The crowds stand up and cheer for the new champion. Charizard stands a victory pose and breathes fire aimlessly in the air. Lance is surprised at his loss but smiles and nods at his opponent.

"This is history in the making, folks! Ash Ketchum at the age of 13 is now the youngest Pokémon Trainer ever to become a Pokémon Master!"

Ash stands there in shock. _Did-Did I really... win? This has to be a dream! _He pinches himself in the arm. _OW!... I'm ... I'm not dreaming! _"I won... I WON! CHARIZARD, WE WON!" He rushes to Charizard and hugs his Dragon Pokémon. As soon as he got over to Charizard, Pikachu runs towards them and jumps on top of Ash happily. "WE DID IT, PIKACHU!" WE DID IT!"

"Pi-Pikachu!" (Victory is ours!)

Ash and his two Pokémon were then joined by Ash's three traveling partners: Serena, a fashionable girl who met Ash before their journey once when they were younger, Clemont, a very young inventor, and Bonnie, Clemont's cheerful little sister. "Congratulations, Ash!" Serena said while hugging Ash tightly, just before kissing Ash on the cheek. The kiss startled Ash at first but then thought nothing of it.

"Uh, thanks Serena," Ash said blushing. Serena giggles. Unbeknownst to Ash, Serena has had a huge crush on him since they met years ago at the Pokémon Summer Camp back in Kanto, where Ash is from. She had gotten lost in the nearby forest and was scared out of her mind by a Poliwag, causing her to fall over and injure her knee. Ash just so happened to be in the forest looking for the same Poliwag when he found the injured girl. Being the chivalrous kid he was, he ran over to to her, pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and wrapped it around her injured knee. He then advised to never give up and then escorted her out of the forest. She then returned to her home in Kalos, keeping the memory of Ash close to her heart. Years later, Ash journeys to Kalos where he meets Clemont and Bonnie and is reunited with Serena. Serena had to try a few times to remind Ash of their previous encounter before finally returning the same handkerchief Ash gave her for knee. After Ash finally remembered who she was, Serena joined him on the rest of his journey up to this point, the Pokémon World Competition. This whole time she had secretly loved Ash, and she vowed that right after the competition ceremony she would tell him.

While the group was celebrating, a hot air-balloon that looked like a Meowth floated above the stadium without anyone noticing them. Inside the balloon's basket, three figures stalked Ash and the gang with their binoculars. There was a woman with long, purple hair that went down candy cane-style and a man with a blue mullet. Both of them wore white uniforms with an "R" symbol on the chest. With them was a cat-like Pokémon known as a Meowth. Unlike most Pokémon, this Meowth seemed to have the ability to talk, which he (it for sure was a he) taught himself to do. These three continued spying on Ash throughout his match and became more interested when he won.

"Well what do you know," the woman said. "The twerp finally won a competition."

"I guess he finally becomes a Pokémon Master now," the man said.

"Humph. Sure took him long enoughs," the Meowth complained.

"You know what this means, team?" the woman said with an evil grin on her face. "That Pikachu of his is of more worth than ever now!"

"But why just steal Pikachu when we can steal the twerp's entire team? Now that he's a Pokémon Master, all his Pokémon will be very valuable."

"Yeah! The Boss would surely give us raises and promotions now!"

"Alright, team, let's steal ourselves some Pokémon!"

"YEAH!"

"COUNTS ME IN!"

"WOBBUFFET!"

Later at the award ceremony, Ash, his three friends, and all 70 of his Pokémon (Bayleef, Boldore, Buizel, Bulbasaur, Butterfree, Charizard, Corphish, Donphan, Fearow, Fletchling, Froakie, Gible, Glalie, Gliscor, Heracross, Infernape, Kingler, Krookodile, Lapras, Muk, Noctowl, Oshawott, Palpitoad, Pidgeot, Pikachu obviously, Primeape, Quilava, Sceptile, Snivy, Snorlax, Squirtle, Staraptor, Swadloon, Swellow, a herd of 30 Tauros, Tepig, Torkoal, Torterra, Totodile, and Unfezant) were awaiting the award. **(Author's notes: I know, he either released or gave away some of these Pokémon. Lets just assume they returned prior to this story to support Ash in his greatest competition yet)** They were then greeted by Lance, who just so happened to be the man to present Ash with the trophy and the Medal of Masters. But before Ash received his well deserved rewards, smog filled the arena causing everyone in the stadium to cough and their eyes to water. Ash then suddenly heard what sounded like evil laughter from a woman. _Oh no. I know that laugh. _Suddenly as the smog cleared, the three sinister characters from the Meowth hot air-balloon appeared.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"Make it double!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight, fight, and fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

"WOBBUFFET!"

"Mime Mime!"

"IT'S TEAM ROCKET!" yelled Ash, his friends, and Lance.

"PI PIKA PIKA!" (OH NO! NOT YOU GUYS AGAIN!)

"Who were you expecting? The Super Mario Bros.?" taunted James.

"Umm, who's that, Jimmy?" asked Meowth.

"Oh never mind."

"Why can't you guys just leave us alone?!" screamed Ash.

"When you turn Grand Master, we will consider it," taunted Jessie. "Anyways, let me present to you the debut of the returning members of Team Rocket, Weezing and Arbok, along with some new recruits, the Koffing and Ekans Army." Just then, a purple Pokémon consisting of two spherical heads connected by a thin tube with another sphere in the center and a serpentine Pokémon with purple scales over most of its body came right behind them, along with a group of smaller, purple single-sphere Pokémon and smaller, purple serpentine Pokémon with yellow stripes following them. Suddenly, six more Pokémon showed up along side them: Pumpkaboo, Inkay, Seviper, Yanmega, Carnivine, and Cacnea. (Wobbuffet and Mime Jr. are already up front with Jessie and James) "With them at our side once again, along with our complete arsenal of Pokémon, Team Rocket now has the perfect team to beat and steal all your precious Pokémon. Better say your goodbyes to Pikachu, twerp, while he still stands by you. Mwhahahahaha!"

"We'll see about that! Go, Pikachu!" But before Pikachu had the chance to react, James pulled out a box that unleashed a metal hand, flying towards Pikachu and instantly grabbing the Pokémon. "Ah! Pikachu!"

"Just thought we should warn you first, twerp," James said menically. "Weezing, Koffing Army, use sludge!" At that command, both Weezing and the Koffing Army spew dark brown sludge from their mouth at Ash and the gang.

"Pidgeot, Staravia, Pidove, use Gust!" Ash's three bird Pokémon flap their wings at a high speed and releases a strong gust of wind from them, blowing away the sludge on to Jessie's face.

"AHH! HOW DARE YOU DESTROY MY GORGOUS FACE! ARBOK, EKANS ARMY, POISEN STING NOW!" Right away, Arbok and the Ekans Army open their mouths and fires multiple white darts from their mouths at the bird Pokémon, pushing them away.

"Bayleaf, Bulbasaur, Razor Leaf!" Razor-sharp leaves come out from under Bulbasaur's bulb and fly into the snakes while Bayleef swings its head and multiple razor-sharp leaves fly out from the leaf on its head and into the snakes.

Now Team Rocket was furious, especially Jessie. "THAT'S IT!" she screamed. "SEVIPER, POISEN TAIL! PUMPKABOO, USE LEECH SEED!" The dagger part of Seviper's tail starts to glow purple and Seviper hits Bayleaf with it. Pumpkaboo shoots several seeds from its mouth into the ground. The seeds immediately grow into vines that latch onto Bulbasaur and drained it of its energy.

Now it was Serena's turn to join the fight. "Fennekin, use Flamethrower on her Seviper!" Fennekin releases a red-orange stream of fire from its mouth at Seviper, saving Bayleaf.

"Quilava, use _your _Flamethrower on her Pumpkaboo!" Quilava fires up the flames on its head and back and it releases a spiraling red-orange stream of fire from its mouth at Pumpkapoo, causing it to release its attack on Bulbasaur.

Now it was James's turn to avenge Jessie. "Inkay, Double Team!" At that moment, Inkay creates dozens of copies of itself around Ash and the gang. "Now, use Psybeam!" Inkay and its clones then flip upside down and fire streaky blue beams with pink circles inside it their mouths at the Pokémon in its trap. "Looks like the tide has turned in our favor this time, twerp!"

"Not if I can help it! Dragonite, use Solar Beam!" yelled Lance. Once again, Dragonite's eyes glow white and an orange ball forms in front of Dragonite's mouth. The ball turns into a beam and it fires at the Inkays, putting an end to Double Team and Psybeam. The impact sends Inkay flying into the metal hand holding Pikachu, releasing him from its grip.

Ash saw his chance to put an end to this battle once and for all. "Alright Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" And with a mighty "Pikaaaa-CHUUUUUUUUUU!" Pikachu unleashed an furocious Thunderbolt onto Team Rocket and their Pokémon, sending them once again flying off in the air.

"LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAAIN!"

"WOBBA WOBB!"

'"Well, now that that's out of the way," Lance said as everyone took a quick breather before getting to the award ceremony. "Ash it is my honor and privilege to present you with the Pokémon World Competition trophy and the Medal of Master, the mark of a Pokémon Master. Congratulations."

"Wow," Ash said staring at his medal. It was a shiny golden medal. Almost looked like an Olypician medal except it had a Pokéball in the center. He then turned his head toward his Pokémon. "And I couldn't have done it without you guys. My family. Thank you." All his Pokémon smiled at him. Pikachu smiled and jumped towards him for a hug, which he received with open arms.

Later the afternoon, Ash gathered all his Pokémon in their Pokéballs, except for Pikachu who preferred to rest on Ash's shoulder, and then met his friends back at the hotel. "So where to next, Ash the Pokémon Master?" asked Clemont.

"Home. I can't wait to show my awards to my mom, Professor Oak, and all my friends back home," Ash said, still admiring his medal.

"Great. I've always wanted to meet Professor Oak. I've admired him for so long."

"Well, you won't be disappointed, Clemont."

"When do we leave?" asked Bonnie.

"First thing in the morning. (Yawn) I'm too sleepy right now. It's been a big day."

"Right," said Clemont. "You need your rest. See ya in the morning, Ash ol' buddy."

Night Clemont. Night Bonnie."

"Night. Don't let the Bug-Pokémon bite."

As Ash headed for his room, Serena was waiting for him. She decided that now was the time to tell him. "Hey Ash, can I-I tell you something real quick before you hit the sack?"

"Sure Serena. What's up?"

"I...I...I...I just wanted to congradulate you again, you know, on your victory."

"Oh. Thanks. Well, good night."

Good night, Ash. Sweet dreams." _Shoot! I blew it! Well, it doesn't matter. I'll tell him tomorrow. I sware it. Oh Ash. Sigh. I love you._

Inside his room, Ash waited till he knew everyone else was in bed. He then went to his backpack and quickly scrabbled around for something. Soon, he finally founded it: a pink, folded up handkerchief. This handkerchief was different than the one he gave to Serena. He didn't have this one quite as long. And yet there was something about this handkerchief that more special than anything else Ash ever owned. Ash then unfolded the handkerchief, revealing inside of it a fishing lure that was the cartoonist image of a red-headed girl with a ponytail on the side. the girl had a yellow tank top, blue shorts, red suspenders, and cerulean colored eyes which Ash could stare at for hours. Gazing at the handkerchief and lure, Ash's eyes began to tear up. He breathed heavily as he looked sadly into the eyes of the lure.

_Oh Misty, _he thought, _what I would have given to have shared this day with you._

Crying sliently, he slipped the lure back into the handkerchief, folded it back up, returned to his backpack, and then went back to bed, sleeping next to Pikachu.

* * *

Well, there you have it. Chapter 2. Comment on what you thought of it. And I know, Serena likes Ash a lot too. But don't worry. Ash only has eyes for a certain red-head. So then what could have possibly happen to make them go separate ways? Well, you will just have to wait and see. Meanwhile, I'm gonna get started on Chapter 3 but no promises on me getting it done as fast as I got this one up. I still have finals in school you know. BLAH! Thank God this is my senior year. Well I gotta spilt. Catch ya guys later.


	3. Surprise and Gulit

Chapter 3 is done! Yay! This one would've went into Ash finding out what happened to Misty in Chapter 1, but I didn't want to go over 4,000 words. So anyways, this Chapter is more about Ash going over his feelings towards his closest friends and then into how he was affected by the incident that killed his friendship with Misty. And then Ash gets home and... well, read and see.

Note: each chapter in this story begins with Misty remembering her moments with Ash. Most of them will sound pretty familiar.

Warning: Again, this is a AAML story, but not a romance novel. Sheesh, how many times must I explain that. (LOL XD) By the way, for those of you that are Ikarishipping and/or Contestshipping fans, this chapter has some little hints for you. As for me, Pokeshipping forever!

And again, I don't own Pokémon. If I did, Brock would never have left.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Surprise and Guilt**

_We continued through the Viridian Forest on our way to Pewter City for Ash's first gym battle. He had just caught his first Pokémon, a Caterpie, and was so overjoyed he had himself a little party. Personally, I wouldn't have made such a big deal of catching Bug-type Pokémon. I absolutely hate Bug Pokémon! I don't care if their harmless or not! A bug is a bug, and they're gross! And yet, as I watched Ash throwing his little celebration for his first catch, I started to feel… something. I actually thought it was adorable. I was starting to think… HE was adorable. I didn't understand it at the time and I still don't understand it today, but I was beginning to develop something rather deep inside for him. Him! Ash Ketchum, the kid who stole and destroyed by bike who I told I would follow till he paid me back! Why? Why did it have to be him? To that question I will never know the answer. Well, when we had finally reached Pewter City, Ash headed straight for the Pewter City Gym. I knew Ash was dense and inexperienced, (he fought a bird-type with his bug-type. How dense and inexperienced can you get?) so I offered my help by offering my Pokémon, which where all water-type by the way, for the gym match. But being the stubborn kid he is, Ash just laughed and walked towards the gym. That of course made me angry. Later, I found out Ash lost to the Gym leader, Brock Slate, and found him trying to charge up Pikachu. I once again offered my help but once again he just laughs at my offer. This time I was fed up, so I just waited at the Pokémon Center, extremely ticked off. 'I swear he drives me crazy,' I thought to myself. This is true. He has driven me crazy ever since that day I met him. But then why was I getting these funny feelings inside of me for him of all immature people? I guess it's true when they say that love is a funny thing._

The next morning…

Ash, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie packed their bags, gathered all their Pokéballs (except Bonnie who was too young to own a Pokémon), and headed off towards the docks. They got on the first cruise ship to Kanto and were on their way to Ash's homeland.

Ash couldn't wait to see his mom, Professor Oak, and his friends and show off his trophy and Medal of Masters to them, especially to Gary. When Ash first started his Pokémon quest, he and Ash were bitter enemies, always trying to out do each other any chance they got. Gary had some advanages while Ash had some others. Their rivalry finally came to an end when Ash defeated him in the Johto Sliver Conference. Though the two had become friends afterwards when Gary had quit training Pokémon and decided to become a Pokémon researcher like his grandfather, there still was some rivalry left in their relationship though now tamer and friendlier than it used to be. It became more of just teasing each other. Last he talked to Gary over the vidphone was a month and two weeks before the World Competition.

His mind then wondered off to his other friends. He could never forget Brock, his best human friend (Pikachu being his best Pokémon friend). He had traveled with him longer than anyone else, having traveled with Ash through Kanto after they met, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh. He not only became one of Ash's closest friends, but he also cooked the meals, "mothered" him and the other travelers, couched him, and got him ready for any challenge and battle. (He also chased after every pretty girl who caught his eye, but that's another story.) He kind of became Ash's big brother. There was no other friend he could talk to about things better than to Brock. Even after Brock had left to become a Pokémon doctor, the two best friends still kept in touch and texted or called each other whenever they got the chance. Last he talked to Brock was the day right before the World Competition when Brock gave his usual encouragement and of course teasing to Ash as all good best friends do. Honestly, Ash couldn't ask for a better brother.

He then thought of May and her brother Max, his traveling partners, along with Brock, during his journey through the Hoenn region and the Battle Frontier in Kanto. May was always the very sweet and optimistic girl of Ash's traveling partners and plus probably the closest to being a girl version of Ash due to the fact that she always ENJOYED eating. She at first was a very under-confident girl for a while and then sometimes became a real go-getter type of confident person. When it came to certain things, she could be a glass half-full type of a straight woman that she is. However, May was always a sweetheart and a loyal friend to Ash and Brock when she traveled with them and she never stopped. Since she left to go on with her own dreams of being a Top Coordinator, she and Ash had kept in touch, though not as often as Ash did with Brock. Last he heard from her was a month before the World Competition when she cheerfully told Ash over the vidphone that she was now in a relationship with Drew, her former rival whom she had a secret crush on for awhile.

As for her little brother Max, he was kind of the brains of the Hoenn team. Though he wasn't old enough to be a Pokémon Trainer, he still had a great knowledge of all things Pokémon for an 8 year old, even though sometimes it got on his sister's nerves causing the two to go into an all out sibling battle. But the two really did love each other and Max really started to look up to Ash during their travels through Hoenn. After leaving with his sister, he told Ash he wanted to became a great Pokémon trainer one day. Ash then promised him that when he became one, they would have a battle. Ash last heard from Max the same time as May when he begged her constantly to speak to Ash. When May finally gave in, Max then, much to Ash's dismay, spent an half hour on the vidphone telling Ash about the new Pokémon facts he had just learned before May finally took the phone away from him. Ash then spent the next half hour watching the two siblings bickering again. _Just like old times, _he thought to himself, smiling and shaking his head.

Next on his mind was his friend from Sinnoh, Dawn, who (along with her Pokémon Piplup) was always notable for her confidence, since she almost always tries to look towards the future rather than dwell on her mistakes. Dawn was overly confident and assured in her own strength at the beginning of her journey, much like Ash was. She had quickly became close friends with Ash and Brock on their journey through Sinnoh, though proved to be more girly than May was. Dawn always enjoyed Pokémon Contests and left Ash and Brock soon after their journey together ended and headed for Hoenn, since Hoenn is the region Contests originated from, with her dream of becoming a Top Coordinator. Because of that, she became close friends with May. She kept in touch with Ash as often as May did, if not more. Last Ash heard from her was a week after he last talked to May. She talked awhile about the latest Contest she had participated in and then told Ash about her recent relationship with Paul, Ash's brutal former rival back in Sinnoh who later became a friend of his and obviously Dawn.

He then thought of the rest of his friends: Tracey who travelled with him through the Orange Islands, Iris and Cilan who traveled with him through the Unova region, Richie who he became fast friends with during their first encounter at the Indigo Plateau Conference, Todd the photographer, Melody, Casey, Duplica, Ralph, Emily, Giselle, Erika, Lt. Surge, Sabrina, Whitney, Suzie, Cheryl, Barry, Kenny, Zoey, Angie, Lyra, Khoury, Bianca, Luke, Stephen, Cameron, Anabel, N, Alexa, and some others, whom he all met during his travels. He even considered Drew and Paul as his friends now, even though Paul was still a pretty mean and closed person even to Dawn and Ash considered Drew kind of a weirdo. Nevertheless, he always enjoyed having such good friends.

But out of all the friends on his mind, there was one in particular that kept coming back to his mind constantly. No matter how hard Ash tried to keep these thoughts out (which weren't dirty thoughts, btw), his thoughts kept returning to the memories of a very close friend he once had: a red-headed girl that resembled the fishing lure Ash kept (minus the cartoonish look). As much as he tried, he never could forget that girl. She had the temper of a Gyarados (meaning VERY hot tempered) and yet a heart of gold. She was hard to get along with and at the same time she wasn't. He teased her about her looks and yet deep down thought she was an angel of God (with attitude). She was very argumentive and stubborn and yet so was he. She was there since the first day of his journey, since she fished him out of the lake followed by him "borrowing" her bike. He remembered her vowing to follow him to the ends of the earth till he paid her back for her bike. He remembered all his travels with her: Kanto, Orange Islands, and Johto. He remembered all the times they constantly argued, all the times they laughed, all the times they cried, all the times they couldn't stand being near each other, and all the times they enjoyed each other's company. In the end, they were the bestest of friends. Ash actually felt closer to her than anyone else, even more than Brock and Pikachu. He never admitted this to anyone, but deep down, Ash could have sworn there was some weird feelings he was developing for her...

Then that painful day came when she left. Her sister's were going on a cruise and she had to go home and take care of the Gym. It was at that point the worst day of his life. It felt like his best friend just died. He never saw her after that except for a couple of times, which seemed too short for him. Once when her Togepi evolved into a Togetic, once again when they investigated some Mirage Pokémon together, and then after his return from Hoenn where she was waiting at his house for him to arrive. It felt good to see her again and again whenever he had the chance. Then it all ended. On the day before he left for Sinnoh, their friendship met an devastating end. On that day, Ash felt his world was over. He made a huge mistake that consequently ended his relationship with his closest friend. He never saw her again. Afterwards, Ash never told anyone what happened, not to his mom, or Brock, or even Pikachu. They all just assumed Ash was too busy on his journeys to call her or pay a visit. He did his best to cover his guilt and pain by only thinking Pokémon 24/7. The cover had worked. No one suspected Ash's true feelings. He still loved Pokémon and all, especially Pikachu, but he still felt empty inside. He realized how true it was that you don't know how much someone means to you till they're gone.

_It's all my fault we're not friends anymore. Forgive me, Misty, wherever you are._

Pikachu couldn't help but notice his best buddy looking depressed, but he didn't understand why. Ash had just won the World Competition and finally fulfilled his dream, and yet he still looked unhappy. Being the ever so loyal Pokémon he was, a very concerned Pikachu walked over to his master.

"Pika chu Pika, Pikapi?" (Are you ok, Ash?)

"Huh? Oh, yeah I'm find, Pikachu."

"Chu Pi Pika Pika." (You don't look like you're find.)

"Don't worry, buddy. I'm fine. Never felt better. I'm just thinking about the friends we haven't seen in a while." That last part at least was true.

"Pika, Chu Pi Pi Pika." (Ok, if you say so.)

Ash smiled a fake smile at his little buddy, the same fake smile he wore since that last day with Misty. It always pained him to lie to him and all his other friends, human and Pokémon, but he didn't want them to know what a jerk he was to his best friend that day.

That day...

He remembered it well...

Too well...

After about a five hour cruise, Ash and the gang finally made it to Kanto. Luckily, they weren't that far from Pallet Town. Ash couldn't wait to get home, Clemont couldn't wait to meet the infamous Professor Oak, Serena couldn't wait to tell Ash how she felt about him, Pikachu couldn't wait to get his paws on some ketchup, **(Author's notes: Still a better love story than Twilight) **and Bonnie...well, she just couldn't wait. When they finally got to Pallet, Ash noticed that the place hadn't changed a bit. But of course it never did, and that was ok. It was nice living in a quiet, little town like Pallet, though Ash still thought it could use a Pokémon Gym. Just a thought, you know. Nonetheless, Ash quickly ran towards his house with his friends trying to catch up with him. Ash expected to find his mom at the front door, waiting with open arms, but she wasn't there. He looked inside. The only other being in the house was his mom's Pokémon Mr. Mime, doing his usual routine of cleaning house. He asked the Pokémon where his mom was. With Pikachu translating, (by now, Ash and Pikachu had bonded so closely Ash could understand the exact words his Poké-companion was saying) Mr. Mime told him Delia was out to run some errands. Not really willing to just sit and wait, Ash and his friends headed to their next stop- Professor Oak's Laboratory.

When they got there, Ash knocked on the door but no one answered. He knew someone was home cause he could see the Professor's car out front. He knocked again. Nothing. He then figured the Professor was out back so he headed for the backyard to see if he was right. They had just turned the corner to the backyard when suddenly...

"SURPRISE!"

Ash was surprised indeed. There he was with his four companions (counting Pikachu of course)infront of almost everyone he knew. There was his mom Delia, Professor Oak, Gary, Brock, May, Max, Dawn, Iris, Cilan, Professor Birch, Richie, Todd, Melody, Casey, Duplica, Ralph, Emily, Giselle, Erika, Lt. Surge, Sabrina, Whitney, Suzie, Cheryl, Barry, Kenny, Zoey, Angie, Lyra, Khoury, Bianca, Luke, Stephen, Cameron, Anabel, N, Professor Juniper, Alexa, Drew &amp; Paul, (who where both brought by May and Dawn respectively) and even the Elite Four among others. Everyone of them was there to congratulate their friend, the young new Pokémon Master Ash Ketchum. He was then welcomed with hugs, hand shaking, kisses from his mother, high-fives, and many "Congratulations, Ash."

"Way to go, Ashy-Boy," teased Gary with the nickname Gary gave Ash when they were rivals.

"You were awesome," cheered May, clapping gleefully.

"We never had a doubt you would pull through," complemented Max, giving Ash a high-five.

"Congrats to ya, champ," said Dawn, shaking his hand.

"My baby! I'm so proud," said Delia, squeezing Ash in a really tight, motherly hug.

"Well done, Ash. I knew you could do anything if you put your mind into it," said Professor Oak, nodding at the young man.

Ash felt great. Here he was with his dream finally fulfilled with the people he cared about and who cared about him back here to congradulate him. (He did notice that Tracey wasn't present, but figured he was running an errand for Professor Oak.) He couldn't have felt happier. Then he remembered who wasn't there- Misty. But then again, it wasn't surprizing. And yet, he still wished by some miracle she was only late to the party, though he knew it would've been too good to be true. Still, he couldn't let that bother him right now. He decided to do his best just to enjoy the party.

"Ash, man! How's it feel to be the Master, buddy?" asked Brock as the 18-year old walked over to hug and congradulate his best friend. Though the two have always kept in touch, it was always better when the two brothers got together in person.

"Well, it's something else. I gotta say I was hoping for a bigger crowd of people for a Master like me," Ash joked.

"Well, sorry, but most of Kanto had better things to do than bow down and worship Ash, the great and powerful," Brock joked sarcastically.

"So does that mean you still have no life cause you had nothing better to do?"

"Hahahaha! Yeah, I have no life because I don't fight birds with bugs and go through six competitions before I actually win something."

"At least girls like being around me."

"Ok, you got me there," he said taking Ash's hat off and giving him a nugi.

"Hey hey hey, quit," Ash said laughing.

"Speaking of girls, I wonder where Misty is? I know your mother sent her an invitation."

Ash really wished he did not bring up that name. He felt worse than when Brock heard Professor Ivy's name after "something" happened during the short period he was working for her. Only Ash did his best to play it cool. "I-I guess she was, uh, just too busy at the Gym."

"Yeah, your probably right. I know she would have been happy to see you. I can never forget how close you two were when the three of us were traveling together. It was something else."

"All we did was argue all the time. She probably was glad to get me out of her hair when she left us."

"Now come on, Ash, you know that's not true. Granted you two did argue constantly. And it did normally end with you getting walloped with her mallet," he chuckled at that part and Ash sweatdropped, "but I could tell guys had something special between you two. And when you guys weren't biting each other's heads off, your's more than her's, you guys joked, played games together with both of yours and her Pokémon, cheered for each other at Pokémon matches, and constantly talked Pokémon strategies. I could tell you guy were compatable, even during the times you guys didn't think so. When was the last time you talked to her, by the way?"

Ash hesitated to answer. That was the one subject he so deeply wanted to avoid. He couldn't tell Brock the truth. Not now anyway. "Uh, it must have been quite awhile ago. I have been so busy with my journeys I haven't gotten the chance," he lied. "Besides, I don't know what her schedule is like so I would never know when to call or even text her. Uh, when was the last time _you_ talked to her?" he asked nervously.

"Actually to be honest, you are probably the only other person other than my dad and siblings I get a chance to call these days since I started Pokémon Med School. I text just about everyone else: Tracey, May, Dawn, Gary, Max, and a couple others. I texted Misty a couple of times, but she never responses. She's probably just as busy as you and me have been lately."

"Yeah. Yeah, that's probably it." Ash was relieved. He was afraid Misty might have said something to him about what happened. Yet by the sound of it, he hasn't heard from her in awhile.

"Well, what do you say we go and enjoy the rest of the party. I know there still are some people here who want to talk to you. Plus, I think your mom is bringing out the cake."

"Great! I'm starving!"

Brock couldn't help but laugh. "Same ol' Ash."

Ash smiled at his long-time friend, but inwards he didn't have the strength to be happy. _Same ol' Ash, Brock? If only that were true._

The party continued, unaware of the dangers already taken place in Cerulean City just the day before.

* * *

Well there it is. Chapter 3. Whew. Hope you guys enjoyed. Review and tell me what you thought. I always enjoy getting feedback. And for those of you who are fans of Iris and Cilan, sorry but this is as far as their roles are in this story. Again, sorry. I just never was a fan of those two. Anyways, I hope that doesn't keep you awesome readers out there from reading the rest of this story as I continue to write it. Well, I gotta split. Gotta catch ya later. (Sniff, now why did I have to go and reference THAT episode? It's the only episode I have cried through. CURSE YOU, NINTENDO! IF YOUR GAMES WEREN'T SO AWESOME...)


	4. Disaster in Cerulean

Chapter 4 is here! Happy days are here again! YAY! Anyways, I am now out of school (WHOOOOO!) so other than the times I have to go to work, or of course camp because the camp I go to is the best place ever, I now have plenty of time till college to get as much done of this story as possible.

Note: The beginning of each chapter... well, you know by now, Misty's memories with Ash.

Warning: Pokeshipping is the whole purpose of this tale. Ash and Misty were made for each other. Why can't Nintendo realize that, for crying out loud?!

And I still don't own Pokémon - YET! HEHEHE! MWAHAHAHA! *ahem sorry. So, anyways enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Disaster in Cerulean**

_After leaving Pewter City, me and Ash, along with our new friend Pewter City's gym leader Brock, continued off to get Ash's second badge that he needed to take part in the Indigo Plateau Conference. Unfortunally, we had gotten ourselves lost on our way to our next destination because ASH wanted to take a shortcut. The idiot obviously didn't know where he was going an ended up getting us farther lost than we wanted to be. This of course made me raging with annoyance and anger and it is never wise to make me angry, as Ash was soon to get used to. "Way to go, Mr. __Pokémon __ Master Wannabe! You have officially gotten us lost!" I yelled. At that moment I started off one of our first arguments, with Ash yelling things like that he apparently knows where he is going and me yelling stuff like that he wouldn't know if had ran into a brick wall. We went on and on with our argument until Brock and Pikachu had enough. First Pikachu gave us a Thundershock to stop the fight and then Brock told us to calm down before the fight went to far so we can find our way back. He then had the nerve to make the comment "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you guys fight like you two __**like**__ each other." He then started laughing as me and Ash yelled as loud as we could at him screaming that we absolutely do not. Though I knew deep down it wasn't the case. Not for me anyway. I honestly didn't like yelling at Ash. For some reason, I thought he was too cute to yell at. And yet his denseness, huge head, and annoyance seemed to cloud over my (at the time) small crush on the boy and my feelings came out as anger and frustration. And it wouldn't be the last time either. Oh well. He always did look cute when we fought._

As the party continued...

Ash continued conversations with all his old friends. Not much had changed since he last saw most of them after he returned from Unova. They talked about their own journeys, dreams, their memories with the unforgettable Ash Ketchum, and asked Ash what his plans were now that he was finally a Master. All Ash could say to answer was he didn't know yet. All he wanted to do now was just enjoy the fact that his dream has finally came true.

Or so he thought.

Later that day, most of the guests had to leave and get home. All who were left were Ash, Delia, Professor Oak, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Brock, Gary, May, Max, Dawn, and their respective Pokémon. All of them, except the Professor, decided to head back to the Ketchum household. Ash then invited them to spend the rest of the weekend with him. His friends accepted his offer, though Gary had to return to Professor Oak's for the night and Clemont and Bonnie had to return home to Kalos the next day. They then ate dinner, continued to converse and laugh over old times, and then the kids went to go see a movie. After the movie, Gary headed back to his grandfather's lab as the rest of the group returned to Ash's house. They decided their sleeping arrangements and then went off to bed. Delia, Ash, and Serena were the last ones up. Delia decided to watch some TV in her room before going to sleep. Ash had just decided to turn in when Serena made her way towards him. _Now's my chance. I'm going to tell him. I can do this. I can do this. _"Umm, hi Ash," she said shyly.

Ash looked at her with a confused look on his face. "Uh hi Serena."

"Can I tell you something?"

"Oh sure. What's up?"

_This is it! Let it all out, girl! Give him all you've got! _"Ash.. I-I just wanted to say that I've enjoyed traveling with you and getting to know you more. And I... I want to continue doing so. I know Clemont and Bonnie said they were going to return to Kalos tomorrow, but I... I.. I want to stay with you as long as I can. I like you, Ash. As a matter of fact I.. I... I... ILOVEYOU!" And with that she quickly ran into the guest room she was sharing with May and Dawn, afraid of rejection.

Ash stood there in shock. _What just happened? Serena... LOVES ME?! _He considered going in there and talk to her but then of course pushed the idea aside knowing that was where the girls were sleeping. And he knew better than to invade the privacy of the opposite sex. Figuring he could just talk to her in the morning, he made his way to his room.

Pikachu was just getting himself ready to hit the sack when Ash came in. And he seemed to have something on his mind. As Ash sat down on his bed, the little yellow mouse Pokémon jumped on top of his lap. "Pikachu, Pikapi?" (What's up, Ash?) he asked the master he loved.

Ash looked down at his little PokéPal and smiled but then looked back up with his face again turning serious. "Well as it turns out, Serena seems to be... in love with me."

"Pika Pika Pikachu Chu?" (And how do you feel about her?)

"You how I feel about her, buddy. I like her as.. a brother loves his sister. I just can't return her feelings."

"Pi Pi Chu Pika Pikachpi, Kachu?" (You still have feelings for Misty, don't you?)

Ash looked at Pikachu with shock. That's twice someone has brought up him and Misty that day. As he did since they traveled together, he denied his feelings. "Uh, I don't know what you're talking about, Pikachu."

Pikachu was by now fed up with the same old denial he had to deal with for a long time. "Pika Pika Pi Pi Pikachu! Kachu Pi Pika Chu Pikachupi! Pikachu Pikachu Pika!" (Enough with the denial! We all know you are in love with Misty! Just own up to it already!)

As much as Ash hated to admit it, Pikachu was right. Though he never admitted to anyone, especially not to his closest friends, Ash had long ago fallen in love with his once best friend. But after they weren't even friends anymore, he tried his best to get over that feeling but he never could. He still was very much in love with her even though now he knew because of him they would definitely never be together. Ash then took a deep breath and sighed deeply. "Alright, Pikachu, you win. I like Misty. A lot. Heck, I love her. I have since that night at Maiden's Peak." **(Author's Notes: Those of you who are true ****Poké fans know what episode I'm talking about. For those of you who don't, I'll explain later)**

"PIKACHU!" (FINALLY!)

"But it doesn't matter, Ash sighed sadly. "Not anymore. She could never love me back."

Pikachu looked at his master with a concerned look on his face. "Pi Pika Pikachu Chu Kachu?" (Because of the fight you two had before Sinnoh?)

This startled Ash. "HOW DID YOU KNOW...?"

"Pika Pi Pika Pika Chu." (I know more about you than you think.)

"So... then you know she and I aren't friends anymore, right?" Pikachu nodded. "Well there go. How could she share the same feelings for me that she probably never had in the first place after how horribly I treated her that day?"

"Pikachu Pika, Pikapi. Pi Chu Pika Pikachupi Pi Pi Pi Kachu Kachu Pikachu." (You can't give up, Ash. I'm sure if you apologize to Misty with all your heart she would forgive you.)

"Buddy, what I did is pretty unforgivable."

"Chu, Pika Pika Chu Pi Pi Chu. Pi Chu Kachu Pika" (Still, that was a long time ago. You've matured a lot since then.)

"It's too late anyways, Pikachu. (sigh) I really don't want to talk about it, ok buddy?"

Pikachu sighed sadly. "Pikachu. Pika Kachu Pi Chu Pika, Pi?" (Alright. But if you need to talk I'm here, ok?)

Ash smiled. "Thanks pal," and then gave his first Pokémon a hug. "I don't know where I'd be today without you."

"Cha!"

Ash then got ready for bed. He had just got in his pajamas and got himself situated in his bed when suddenly he heard his mother scream, "ASH! EVERYONE! GET IN HERE QUICK!"

Without a second of hesitation, Ash quickly jumped out of his bed and ran towards his mom's room with Pikachu right behind him. By the time he got there, Brock and the others were already right by his mom, all with shocked, worried, and scared expressions on their faces. "What's going on?!" asked a worried Ash.

"Look!" Delia said, pointing at the TV screen. And what Ash saw made him stand back with a more shocked and scared expression than anyone else in the room. _Oh no._ On the TV, it showed a news broadcast showing the Sensational Sisters (Daisy, Violet, and Lily Waterflower) talking to some reporters. They looked scared, worried, and- they were crying. Ash could see why. Behind them, he could see the flaming remains of the Cerulean City Gym as the Squirtle Squad were doing their best to put the fire out but with no prevail. He then noticed Tracey, who looked injured but alright, in the back. But what made things worst was the lack of the fourth and youngest of the Sensational Sisters- Misty! _Where could she be?! Calm down, Ash. She's probably getting any injured Pokémon to the Cerulean Pokémon Center as quickly as possible. Yeah! That's got to be it! It just has to be!... Misty, please be alright!_

_"As you can see, the Squirtle Squad still are unable to put out the fire from the explosion that destroyed the once beautiful Cerulean City Gym just yesterday. No Pokémon were hurt, thanks to this young man, Tracey Sketchit," _the reporter said pointing to Tracey. _"We are finally joined by the Sensational Sisters, the older sisters of the missing Gym Leader Misty Waterflower, victim of yesterday's unfortunate event." Wait, MISSING!? VICTIM!? _Ash thought, panicking._ "Could you please tell the viewers at home how you came to hear the news of your gym and your beloved younger sister?"_

_"Well," _sobbed the oldest sister Daisy, _"We had just got back to the hotel we were staying in back at Mandarin Island North of the Orange Islands after a long photo shoot. We were getting ready to go to a party with some friends of ours when we received a call from Tracey. He told us that... that...,"_ she suddenly fell down on her knees crying uncontrollably, unable to finish.

Violet continued, but had trouble herself holding back the tears._ "He told us that... he went over to the Gym to.. deliver some Pokémon food. They were talking while watching the Pokémon World Competition on the TV when suddenly the doorbell rang. Tracey told us no one was there when he answered the door. He went back inside to hear our sister scream so he ran to save her, but it was... too... too late!" _Violet then joined her sister in crying uncontrollably.

Lily finished, fighting her own tears. _"All he found were the Pokémon, all injured,... the TV and glass all over the floor,.. and then... he f-found blood on the floor. OUR sister's blood! He was able to save all the Pokémon and jump out of the window before our Gym was destroyed... all the Pokémon survived, he survived, but... there was no sign... of... her." _The three sisters couldn't take it anymore. The thought of losing their younger sister whom they loved dearly was too much to bear. They were then taken to the side by Officer Jenny who did her best to comfort the three.

_"There you have it, folks. There is still no sign of the Gym Leader of Cerulean City, Misty Waterflower. Though there is no sign of a body in the ruins of the Gym so far, police are still on a frantic search. We must keep her sisters in prayer as they wait for the outcome of Misty. We must all hope for the best." _At that point, Delia turned the TV off. Everyone in the room was shocked, especially those in the room who knew Misty personally.

"I-I can't believe this happened to Misty," May said in shock.

"Not in a million years would I think this would ever happen to her," Delia cried.

Silence.

"You're awfully quiet over there, Ash. You ok?" Brock asked. But there was no answer. "Ash?" He looked around. Ash wasn't in the room anymore. Suddenly, everyone in the room jumped when they suddenly heard the front door get slammed shut. "Oh no!"

Ash, still in his pajamas, was running as fast as he could, with Pikachu hanging on for dear life on his pajama shirt's left sleeve. He only had one thing on his mind: get to Cerulean City ASAP to get some answers, in hopes of saving Misty's life, no matter what! _How could this happen to Misty?! She doesn't deserve this! If anyone deserves this kind of thing to happen to them its ME!_ Ash kept running and running. He was getting tired but he wouldn't stop running. With anger and determination in his eyes, he kept on going until after what seemed like hours, he was out of Pallet Town and he didn't stop there. Suddenly he collapsed, panting heavily. But with all his strength (and stubbornness) he got right back up and continued running. _Hang on, Misty! I'm coming for you! Please be ok!_

Just then, a car pulled over to where Ash had slowed down a bit to catch his breath. In the car was Brock, who was driving, and Gary. "Hold up there, Ash!" yelled Gary.

"DON'T TRY TO STOP ME, GUYS! MISTY IS IN TROUBLE AND I'M GOING TO FIND A WAY TO SAVE HER!"

"Ash, I've known you long enough to know that it's a pointless effort to try to stop you from doing something you have your mind set on, no matter how dangerous the situation is! We are NOT here to stop you!" yelled Brock.

"What? You're not?"

"No. But you're not going to get to Cerulean City quick enough just by running all the way there! You're not going to make it anyways without getting tired and possibly passing out by the way you have been running!"

"Well what do you expect me to do?!"

"Get in, genius!" yelled Gary as he opened the back door of Brock's car. Without questioning his friends' request to help, Ash then grabbed Pikachu and jumped into the back of the car. Brock then continued driving towards Cerulean.

When they finally got to where the Gym used to be, they found the reporters, police, Nurse Joy and her Chanseys, and the Squirtle Squad were still there doing their respective tasks. When the sobbing sisters of Misty looked up and saw Ash running towards them, their faces turned from sorrow and sadness to hatred and anger. "YOU!" they yelled simultaneously. One by one they walked over to Ash and slapped him REALLY hard, screaming, "YOU, LIKE, HAVE A LOT OF NERVE SHOWING UP HERE AFTER BREAKING OUR LITTLE SISTER'S HEART LAST TIME! I HOPE YOU'RE, LIKE, HAPPY NOW THAT SHE'S GONE, YOU JERK!"

"Huh?" asked the very confused Brock and Gary as they watched the show. "Ash, what are they talking about?" asked Gary.

Ignoring Gary, Ash got up, rubbed his sore cheek, and returned his attention at the three enraged sisters. He knew deep down they had a good reason to hate him. "Look, I know I can't take back what happened that day. But I must know if there is anything I can do to help find any trace of her."

"Like you care! Last we heard you, like, had yelled at her saying..!"

"I know what I said! I have regretted everyday of my life! But now is not the time to bring that back into place, ok? Now please tell me! Did whoever did this to her leave any clues?!"

"Humph. If you, like, want some information so badly go talk to Officer Jenny! We don't want anything to do with the likes of you, you... you... YOU!" Again the three girls slap Ash REALLY hard on the cheek. "JERK!" And then the three ran off crying uncontrollably.

Realizing that it was a lost cause talking to Misty's sisters, he took their advice and walked over to Officer Jenny, who was in the middle of questioning Tracey. Ash was amazed that he didn't see Brock already over there "confessing his undying love" for Officer Jenny, like he does with every other Officer Jenny or Nurse Joy or any other pretty girl Brock encountered. However, he figured that even Brock knew when to keep his hormones in check, especially since this was no time for the teenager to go into his girl-crazy mode.

"Excuse me, Officer Jenny," Ash said politely, "I don't mean to interrupt, but I'm.. an old friend of Misty. I was wondering you had anything that I could to do to help. Did whoever did this to her leave any clues?"

"As a matter of fact-," Officer Jenny started saying but stopped in mid sentence to take a good look at the kid in front of her. "Wait, aren't you Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, the newly acclaimed Pokémon Master?"

"Yes I am."

"Congratulations, by the way, Ash. Sorry I didn't make to your celebration party," stated Tracey.

"It's alright, Trace," Ash said smiling at his old friend.

"Well then," continued Officer Jenny, "this whole incident seems to concern you in some way or another."

"Wait... ME?!"

Jenny and Tracey both nodded. Jenny then removed a note from her pocket. "After Tracey here escaped the explosion, he quickly ran to the nearest phonebooth to call us. He found _this _by the phone." Ash took the note and read in horror as the note read: _**The Ketchum kid is next! **_"Ash, we believe that whoever destroyed the Gym and attacked Misty, and probably kidnapped her in the process, has you as his/her next target. Therefore, we regret to inform you that your life is now in grave danger."

Ash looked carefully at the note. There was something weird with the handwriting. It almost didn't seem like human handwriting. Then he saw that there was something else on the note: under the writing he saw a little smudge mark. He carefully picked at it until he saw something that made him gasp. "Officer Jenny, look!" She joined Ash at looking where the smudge was to see a bold **R **in it's place. Ash's expression then turned into a raged expression as he recognized that letter anywhere. "Officer, I think I know who did this!" Officer Jenny and Tracey both nodded in response. That letter was none other than the logo of the villainous organization known to all as:

_Team Rocket!_

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Chapter 4, people! There you have it! Review, please! I really would like to know what you all thought of it! And I realized my last chapter has some spelling errors so I quickly went back and fixed what I could find. Well, chapter 5 should hopefully be up next week. If time is kind to me that is. I hope you all have a good rest of the week. Well, I gotta split. See ya all later.


	5. The Quest Begins

Ugh! This chapter took me longer than I wanted to take on it! Well, at least it's done and ready for you all to read and weep. Just kidding, I don't want you to cry except for the sad parts. LOL XD Ahem. Anyways, enjoy Chapter 5 of the Quest for Misty saga. And don't forget to review.

Note: I'm done reminding you what happens at the beginning of each chapter. You people are smart enough to know what it is by now, am I right?

Pokeshiping rules! FOREVER! Ash and Misty sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! Followed by a Pokémon battle. Probably Ash's idea. HEHEHE!

And I don't own anything Pokémon except this story Nintendo should've thought of. If I did own Pokémon, Ash would age at least once in a blue moon. (10 years old for 17 years? Are you kidding me?!) And Misty would never have left the show. And neither would've Brock.

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**Chapter 5: The Quest Begins**

_We finally made it to Ash's next gym destination, which was the LAST place I wanted to be - Cerulean City. Reason? That's where I am from. It's not that I didn't enjoy living there. Cerulean is home to some of the most beautiful water-type Pokémon in the entire region of Kanto. And being the water Pokémon lover I am, this was the perfect place for me to grow up. There is only one exception. On second thought, there are THREE: my three older sisters Daisy, Violet, and Lily, a.k.a. the Sensational Sisters. Humph, sensational my stinken mallet! Don't get me wrong, though. I love my sisters. With all my heart. It's just that they drive INSANE! There they are at the gym, always putting more emphasis our their "beauty" and their stupid gym shows than on actual battling. I mean, THAT is what Pokémon Gym is for, for crying out loud! Now the reason I didn't want to return there? Because I had ran away from those three telling them I wouldn't return till I became a Water Pokémon Master and staying in the gym with THOSE three wasn't going to get me anywhere. And yet, here I was being dragged back there by the doofus I was secretly falling in love with just so he could get another badge. What he densely didn't know was that my sisters are always so occupied with their other activities in the gym that they never actually battle challengers coming to the gym. They just GIVE away the badges. So after Ash figured out that they were my sisters and that yours truly is a certified Gym Leader (that's right, boys ;)), I took it upon myself to battle the kid. And I would've won too if it weren't for the annoying Team Rocket threesome to show up and interrupt the battle. After blasting them off once again, we decided that the battle ended in a draw, due to the unfortunate circumstances. (Well, it was more unfortunate for Team Rocket than us.) So, in the end, my sisters just gave the badge to Ash, kind of as an award for protecting the gym from Team Rocket. I tried to argue with them against it, but they convinced me that if Ash had used Pikachu from the start of the battle (Pikachu doesn't like battling his friends, especially the really pretty ones), he would have easily beaten all of my water Pokémon. In the end I agreed, half-heartedly, with them and vowed once again that when I returned from my journey with Ash I would be a great Water Pokémon Master. Sigh, if only things went as planned, for both the dream of being the Water Pokémon Master and... my other dream... my dream with him... my dream that was him..._

_him..._

_(starts crying) Oh, Ash..._

The next day, back at the Ketchum household...

Ash and his friends, with Tracey joining them, all sat at the kitchen table, discussing all that was revealed to them the night before: the destruction of the Gym, Misty getting attacked and kidnapped, the injured Pokémon, and the mysterious note threatening Ash's life. The note proved that Team Rocket was responsible for all that had happened. The question was now WHO from Team Rocket was responsible? And what were their plans of dealing with this unfortunate turn of events?

"We can know for sure it wasn't Jessie, James, and Meowth," stated Dawn. "They're too stupid to pull something that evil off and not fail in the process."

"And besides," continued May, "even those three aren't _that _evil." (Well, not anymore anyway, referring to the Unova/Black &amp; White era)

"And even if it was them," continued Clemont, "they would've shown up with her as a wager for Pikachu when they crashed the Pokémon World Competition Ceremony. That is, if its true that you two share a strong bond as I have been lead to believe, Ash."

"No comment," grumbled Ash, still full with anger towards Team Rocket for what they did to Misty and still trying to keep his terrible secret... well, a secret, of course.

"And it couldn't have been Cassidy and... Bert," snickered Brock, knowing perfectly well that Cassidy's partner's name was actually Butch, **(Author's Notes: Jessie and James. Butch and Cassidy. I think there was also once Anne and Oakley. Nintendo likes making historical western figure gags like these for some reason. Not that I really mind)** but it was always so much fun for everyone to say his name wrong just to get him mad. "They were disbanded sometime after we encountered them in Sinnoh and are probably still in prison as we speak. So, they're obviously out of the question as well."

"Couldn't have been Giovanni," included Gary. "I don't thing he does much field work."

"Well, not anymore anyway," grumbled Ash.

His friends couldn't help notice how distressed Ash looked. Most of them knew Ash and Misty were best friends, so it made sense that he would be like this knowing she was in danger. They knew, even though Ash never admitted it, how much she meant to him. (even though Pikachu and Tracey were the only ones in the room who knew they weren't even friends anymore. Pikachu was the only one out of the two who knew why though.) "Ash, are you doing alright?" asked May. "I mean, you must be taking this harder than the rest of us."

"I'm fine. This just a lot to take in. I just can't believe someone would do something like this to her! It just makes me so mad!" He then stood from his seat and pounded his fist on the table. "Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not going to just sit here and let Team Rocket do Mew knows what to Misty! I'm going! I'm going to find and rescue her! And I sware when I get my hands on Team Rocket, I'll..."

"Ash, you can't!" yelled Serena, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Team Rocket has threatened _your_ life, too! If you go and try to rescue her they will for sure take you captive! They might even kill you!"

"I don't care what happens to me! Misty is my.. best friend!" _Well, was. _"And I will not stop trying to save her till she is found and back home safe! Besides... it's about time I paid her back for her bike."

His friends looked at each other. At that moment, they all thought the same thing. They nodded and then turned their attention back to Ash. Brock was the first to stand and speak up. "Well Ash, if you're going on this quest, then I'm going with you!"

"You-you are? No, Brock, I can't ask you to do that. What about your dream of becoming a Pokémon Doctor?"

"Well, I'm still going to be one, but Misty is just as much of my best friend as you are, Ash. She is in danger and you are going to need all the help you can get if you want to save her and stay safe yourself. Besides, medical school doesn't start till this fall and you can't tell me you haven't missed having me on your traveling squad, now can you?"

"Well, no I can't, but..."

"Count us in too, Ash," said May with Max nodding in agreement. "It's been ages since we have had the pleasure of traveling with you and I really liked Misty when we met. Besides, I haven't been on an adventure in a long time."

"Me either," agreed Max. "I'm always up for an adventure."

"And you can bet you're not doing this without _moi_," said Dawn, giving him a wink. "I may never have had met Misty before, but the way you talked about her during our travels and how obsessive you were over that lure she gave you, she sounds like a friend worth saving. And its like what Brock said, you'll need all the help you can get."

"I'm also in, Ashy-boy," stated Gary.

"Me too," said Tracey. _Maybe then I can also find out what happened between you and Misty that killed your friendship with her._

"Guys, I can't ask you to do this," pleaded Ash. "Its dangerous enough as it is for me going alone. I can't let you guys come with me. It would be putting your lives on the line as well. If I get captured, you guys will get captured. I don't want all my friend's lives at risk!"

Brock smiled. "Ash my friend, you don't have a say in the matter. We all knew the risks we were taking when we started our Pokémon journeys." Everyone nodded. "We are going with you on this quest and that's final. Just consider us your bodyguards/rescue team."

Ash tried to think of a good excuse, but he had no such luck. He then decided to just give in. _Besides, _he thought, _if I'm possibly going up against the whole Team Rocket just to find the one responsible I will need all the help I can get. _"Sigh. Alright, you guys win. You can come along."

"Again, its not like you had a say in the matter."

"Yeah, yeah." Ash then turned his attention to Clemont and Bonnie. "How about you guys? Up for one more quest or do you guys really have to get home?"

"We really have to get home. We're really sorry, Ash. We wish you the best of luck in finding your friend," said Clemont sadly.

"Yeah, ok. Thanks." Ash turned his attention to Serena. "And what about you, Serena? Still up to travel with me?" _I hope I'm doing the right thing by asking her to continue on with me, even though I can't return her feelings for me. I still want us to be friends, though. Mew, its gonna be hard telling her that. Why me? Why me, why me, why me, why me?_

Serena looked up at him and smiled. _Could it be... he feels... the same? Calm down, girl. He may just want you to join him and the rest of his friends. And yet.. he hasn't rejected me. Not that he exactly has had a chance to. Still... _"Sure. I'd be happy to help find your friend Misty." _After all, you couldn't possibly have feelings for her. I mean, she's probably just a really good friend of yours. Right? Well, anything for you, Ash my love._

"Hey great," Ash said, smiling at one of his oldest yet newest friend.

Afterwords, Ash and the gang got their stuff together and went off towards Professor Oak's laboratory, where their Pokémon, except Pikachu, were staying. Clemont and Bonnie walked with them there in order to pick up Clemont's Pokémon. They then said their good byes and Ash watched as his two newest friends head off on their own journeys and to fulfill their own dreams. He then joined the rest of his friends inside Professor Oak's lab, where they were explaining their plans of the journey to the Professor and Delia.

After finishing their explanation to the Professor and Ash's mom, Ash and crew returned to the back yard where their Pokémon were. Ash then stood in front of his friends, ready to get things into gear. "Alright then guys," he said, "best get together your six strongest Pokémon for this journey. We are going to need them for battle whenever we come across any Team Rocket members trying to capture or kill us, and since they definitely won't be the normal trio of idiots we face and probably will be dangerous, we all need to be prepared for the worse."

Everyone nodded and then picked out their respective strongest six Pokémon for their teams. Ash chose Pikachu **(Author's Notes: Honestly was there any doubt?)**, Charizard, Heracross, Krookodile, Glalie, and Snorlax. Brock chose Steelix, Geodude, Crobat, Forretress, Croagunk, and Sudowoodo. May chose Blaziken, Venusaur, Glaceon, Munchlax, Beautifly, and Wartortle. Dawn chose Piplup, Mamoswine, Togekiss, Quilava, Pachirisu, and Buneary. Gary chose Blastoise, Umbreon, Electivire, Magmar, Golem, and Sxizor. Tracey chose Venonat, Marill, Scyther, Dodrio, Beedrill and Misty's Gyarados, which was with her sister's when the Gym was destroyed. (They had lended to Tracey in hopes that he will take care of it.) And lastly, Serena chose Fennekin, Greninja, Absol, Jolteon, Delphox, and Chesnaught. **(Author's Notes: In the anime, she only has Fennekin, so I just looked up her Pokémon from the games. And I gave Tracey two extra Pokémon. Deal with it) **Max, being only eight, didn't own any Pokémon so Ash loaned him his Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Gible, Kingler, Infernape, and one of his Tauros just for this journey. Thankfully, age had nothing on Max's vast Pokémon knowledge, so coming up with good battle strategies was no problem.

After they got their respective chosen Pokémon, they gathered supplies for their journey while Brock went over to the Poké-Mart to get some ingredients for food (Rice balls! Mmm!). This was quite possibly the biggest journey of their lives so everyone needed to get everything they needed together. After all was ready and packed in everyone's respective backpack, napsack, or pouch, they went off their way on towards their journey to rescue Misty, only to look back to once again yell good-bye to Professor Oak, their Pokémon they left with the Professor, and Delia. Ash had to turn around quickly in embarrassment just when his mother had to yell, "Don't forget to change your you-know-whats everyday, sweetheart!" Ash lowered his red hat over his blushed, embarrassed face as the girls in the group started to giggle and the guys snickered. Pikachu couldn't even resist a laugh or two.

"Eh Tu, Pikachu?"

The gang had continued out of Pallet Town and on towards their destination. Then, after an hour's walk, something dawned on... Dawn. "Umm, Ash?" she asked. "What exactly is our destination?"

"Team Rocket Headquarters. Where else would they hold Misty?"

"...And do you happen to know where that is?"

"..Well, no."

Everyone fell down, anime style.

"YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT THIS WHOLE TIME WE HAVE BEEN BLINDLY FOLLOWING YOU AROUND FOR MILES AND MILES TO SOMEPLACE YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE THE HECK IT IS!?"

"Oh contraire, Dawn my friend," smiled Ash, recovering from being yelled at by the younger girl from Sinnoh. "I have the perfect plan to get us there."

"And what might that 'perfect' plan be, o' great and wise Ash Ketchum?" asked May sarcastically.

"Well, as I see it, one of our best chances of finding the secret headquarters is to follow some Team Rocket agents there. Only Team Rocket members would know the path to their secret hideout. I know because an Officer Jenny once told me that they had no luck finding their base ever. So following a few agents should get us there in no time." _I hope._

"Easier said than done, Ash," commented Max. "Any Team Rocket members will most likely spot us and take us out for sure. What, do you plan on making them _willing_ to let us follow them?"

"That's exactly what I plan to do."

Everyone just gives him a blank stare. "How do you plan on it?" asked Dawn skeptically.

Ash grinned mischievously. "Well first, we need to set up a trap for them to fall in, just to get their attention."

"Come on Ash," stated Gary. "Who from Team Rocket would be dumb enough to fall for a trap and then be even more stupid to let us follow them to their secret headquarters?"

Ash gave Gary a look that read 'really its pretty obvious, Gary.' Then at that moment, everyone knew exactly _who_ from Team Rocket would be stupid enough to fall for that.

* * *

Gee, I wonder who that could be. Please! It's as obvious as 2+2=4. Anyways, hope you enjoyed Chapter 5. It's a little shorter than I wanted it to be. Oh well. Review and let me know what you thought of this addition to my tale of epic Pokémonness. Hope you guys liked the teams I chose for the quest. No flames, bros and sisters. I'm going to do my best to remember all those names. And their attacks. And which trainer has them. Arragh! I have a Psyduck-sized headache! Oh by the way, if anyone has a Facebook account, I have a facebook page for Pokémon: The Quest For Misty up and running. I used the title as the name for the page so it shouldn't be hard looking for it. I just so happen to like to draw and all so I will be using this page to not only update you on how this story is running but also show some of the scenes from the story as I get them done. Please like that page and again enjoy my story as I continue updating it. Well, anyways, I gotta split. See ya next time with Chapter six. Hopefully that chapter won't be so stressful on me.


	6. Double Trouble, Double Help

Chapter six! Here it is, folks! I'm sorry I didn't get this done sooner but I had to take my Compass test (I passed by the way) and then I had to get my college courses picked out. I'm just disappointed I didn't Creative Writing. Oh well, I have Drawing 1 for a class and I enjoy that just as much as writing, if not more. Also, I have my job of mowing lawns this summer so time is limited and this week was really hectic. Again I'm sorry. Anyways, this chapter is a lot better than chapter five I promise. Hope you enjoy.

Pokeshipping stories are the best. Ash and Misty. I mean really? Don't they look cute together? Now please Nintendo. Give us what we want!

I don't own Pokémon otherwise I would give us Pokeshippers what we deserve.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Double Trouble, Double Help**

_I try to forget about that day, but it's impossible. It's not that it was a terrible day or something horrible had happened like having my heart broken by you know who. What made it a memory I try to forget was the fact that it was the first time, and thankfully the last, I saw Ash interested in a girl. Problem was it was another girl, not me. And I had completely made a fool of myself. I didn't know why I got so jealous at the time but it got the best of me. Anyways, let me explain what happened. __While searching for firewood in the foggy woods, Ash and Pikachu discovered a bunch of prep-school kids bullying a classmate named Joe. They were all students at Pokémon Technical Institute, which offered classes that allowed trainers to enter the Pokémon League without getting badges. But Joe told us that the rough treatment was necessary so he would be strong enough to graduate. Still, Ash didn't like the idea, and demanded to meet the person responsible for this "tutoring" program. We soon meet this leader, a conceited girl named Giselle. At the sight of her, a brunette in a short blue skirt and a white school uniform with a blue vest and red bow tie over it, Not only Brock was fawning stupidly over her (which was only weird cause he normally goes stupid over older women like Officer Jennys and Nurse Joys), but Ash of all people was fawning too! Ugh! What was worse was the little comment he made that I knew he was referring to me as "someone who treats you bad and looks even worse." Mew, I wanted to kill him! Instead, I challenged this so-called beauty queen to a Pokémon battle for both my honor as a Water Pokémon trainer and to secretly try to impress Ash. Unfortunately, she somehow beat me, which was humiliating enough for my ego. But I also lost in front of Ash! Well, then he won against her. I was both kind of happy for him and angry at him for out doing me at the same time! But I tried my best not to show it. Thankfully, Giselle became nicer to Joe and the other students and we soon went off on our merry way. I was able to get over my humiliation and soon got into another argument with Ash. I hated doing so but it was the closest I was ever going to get with flirting with a kid like him. At least we didn't mean any of the insults we were throwing at each other... Right?_

In the Viridian Forest...

Three figures were dragging themselves around the maze of the forest looking for food and water. It had been three days since Jessie, James, and Meowth, better known as the all-powerful (NOT!) Team Rocket Trio, had been blasted off from the Pokémon World Competition in the Kalos region and had since made their way back home knowing that the Twerp and his Pikachu had returned to their home region of Kanto. Unfortunately for Team Rocket, these three losers had gotten lost in the forest and now just wanted some food and some water.

"Jessie," complained James," we have walked for hours and hours and the writer of this book is showing no pity on us."

"Well then you deal with him, James," cried Jessie. "I'm too lost, tired, and hungry to start screaming at some goofy narrator who doesn't even own this franchise."

"Both of you's quit complaining," grumbled Meowth. "I can't's hear myself gripe about how's I could get stuck with knuckleheads like you's two's."

"Wobbuffet."

"I didn't give you permission to get out of your ball, you big brainless blob!" yelled Jessie at her Wobbuffet as she recalled him to his Pokéball. "We have enough problems right now and we don't need to add more!"

"I can't walk anymore," cried James as he clasped to the ground. Then he started exaggerating his death. "It was a good life. At least that one day. From about 2 to 2:30."

"James! Keep it together, man!" pleaded Jessie, falling for her partner's little charade.

"You's just have to make it, Jimmy! You's just have to's!" cried Meowth.

"No my friends. Go on without me. I would only be a burden on your shoulders. Farewell. It was nice being evil along side such good bad friends."

"No! We won't leave without you!" Jessie and Meowth started crying hysterically while hugging each other tightly.

"Wobbuffet!"

"QUIET, YOU! CAN'T YOU SEE JAMES IS LITERALLY DYING OVER HERE?!" Jessie again recalled Wobbuffet back to his ball.

"YEAH, YOU'S- Hey, what's that over there?" asked Meowth, pointing the left of their location.

"Hmm? Oh," said Jessie as she turned to where the talking Pokémon was pointing. James got off the ground as he also spotted what Meowth had found. Suddenly, all thoughts of being tired, hungry, thirsty, and dramatic death fakes were tossed aside as they sneaked ever so closer to a nearby bush to spy on their newfound discovery.

Just to their left in the distance, a little yellow Pikachu was sound asleep deep in dreamland. His fur was rising up and down and his little mouth was opening and closing very slowly as the tiny electric type was snoring silently. His thunderbolt shaped-tail curled towards his body as he was curled up in a little sleeping ball of electric fur.

"Well, bless our lucky Staru and Starme," whispered Jessie wickedly as they hid behind the bush. "If it isn't our little friend, Pikachu."

"And with the Twerp no where in sight," noted James as he looked around to find no one.

"Are you's sure it's the Twerp's Pikachu?"

"Of course it's the Twerp's Pikachu. We have been after the same little brat and his rodent for years. I know that little ball of electric fur anywhere." they continued spying on and making sure no Twerp or Officer Jenny were sneaking around as well. "Aww, it would be ashame to wake him up and steal him in the middle of his sweet little slumber. Oh well. They don't call us the bad guys for nothing."

"Jessie, don't you think it would be better to wait for the Twerp to show up? I mean, it would be way more of a theft if we steal Pikachu from under his nose."

"No James! This is a chance of a lifetime! Besides, we have tried numerous times stealing Pikachu under the Twerp's nose and all has ended in failure!"

"Wobbuff-"

"If I have to tell you one more time to stay in your ball, it will not end pretty for you," she grumbled, recalling Wobbuffet once again. "Now, lets grab that Pikachu!"

"Yah!" said an excited Meowth.

"I don't know, said a skeptic James. "It seems too easy."

"Oh get a grip, James. Looks can be deceiving."

"Wobbuffet."

_Why do I even bother? _Jessie thought.

So the three sneaked their way towards the sleeping Pikachu. Granted it seemed too easy but they were willing to take that chance- the chance to finally capture the very Pokémon they have been desperately failing over and over to capture constantly failing over and over. This was it. The moment of glory for the Rockets. It seemed to good too be true.

As it turned out, it was too good to be true. Just as they were a step away from the sleeping Pikachu, the ground under Team Rocket's feet collapsed and the three suddenly fell down a well dug and well covered 10 foot deep hole with an "AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" CRASH! At the sound of impact, Pikachu leaped up from his spot and jumped up and down praising his little victory of completely fooling the Rockets. (Though it's not much of an accomplishment to be honest)

"PIKACHU! PI _PI_ _PIKA_ KACHU!" (ALRIGHT GUYS! THEY _FELL _FOR IT!)

"Great! I knew they would," came a voice out of no where. Team Rocket looked up from the hole they were in. On the opposite side of the hole from Pikachu, they were obviously looking up at the kid responsible for setting a trap for them- the Twerp.

"Hey Team Rocket. How's the weather down there?" asked a smirking Ash Ketchum as he stared down at his three trapped victims.

"WHY YOU LITTLE BRAT! GET US OUT OF HERE!" screamed a very hot-tempered Jessie.

"Gee, I don't know if I can. Hey Brock o' buddy, think we should get them out of there?"

At the very mention of the Cooking Twerp's name, the Trio became confused. Last they heard about the Cooking Twerp, he had left the Main Twerp after Sinnoh to follow his own dreams. So they hadn't heard about him for a long time since their dogged focus was on the Main Twerp and his precious and powerful Pikachu. And yet right after the Main Twerp mentioned the Cooking Twerp by his real name, Brock showed up standing right next to the Main Twerp with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face as he looked down on his old enemies.

"Hmm, I'm not sure," Brock said, still smirking. "Girls, what do you think? We have them at our mercy. Shall we keep it that way or set them free?"

Just then, three female figures joined the two male Twerps. Team Rocket wasn't that shocked to see the Straw Hat Twerpette (Serena) on account that she was on of the Main Twerp's most recent traveling partners, but they were really surprised when they saw both the Hoann Region Twerpette with the Bandanna (May) and the Sinnoh Region Twerpette with the Blue Hair (Dawn) right beside her, all three of them giving Team Rocket the same nasty, smirk look the two male Twerps were giving them.

"Good question, Brock," spoke the Hoann Region Twerpette with the Bandanna. "What do you two think?" referring to the other two Twerpettes.

"I don't think they deserve our help after all the annoying pain they've cause us all this years," stated the Sinnoh Region Twerpette with the Blue Hair. "What do think on this matter, Serena?"

"I have to say I agree with you, Dawn," said the Straw Hat Twerpette. "Gary? Tracey? Max?"

"Yeah, maybe we should leave them down in the hole. It would solve a whole lot of problems."

"A whole LOT of problems."

"Ditto."

"Where's a wild Ditto?! Oh, right. Ignore me. I'm just stuck in a hole. Dug by Twerps!" shouted James.

On the other side of the hole, on both sides of Pikachu, two more Twerps showed up. These two Twerps were not seen by Team Rocket as often as the others, even less than the Twerps and Twerpettes they haven't seen in a while. There was the Sketching Twerp (Tracey) and the Original Rival Twerp (Gary). They remembered the Sketching Twerp from back in the day when they followed the Main Twerp around the Orange Islands. Along with a certain Twerpette with Red Hair, the Sketching Twerp had accompanied the Main Twerp through the Islands. As for the Original Rival Twerp, they didn't see him as much on account that he never travelled with the Main Twerp before but did notice that the two were once rivals whenever they did see him. Hence the nickname Team Rocket gave him: the Original Rival Twerp. And lastly, a final Twerp appeared over the by now trembling Team Rocket. This Twerp, the Mini Twerp (Max), was the younger brother of the Hoann Region Twerpette with the Bandanna. He stood right behind Pikachu and along side the two other secondary male Twerps. (They did notice that two of the Main Twerp's recent traveling team were missing, the Inventing Twerp (Clemont) and the Mini Twerpette (Bonnie), weren't present but thought nothing of it.)

Now surrounded by five Twerps, three Twerpettes, and a fully charged electric Pikachu, Team Rocket smiled nervously up at their captors and said the first things that came into their minds:

"Umm,... prepare for trouble?"

"And umm, maybe make it... double?"

"Oh, cut the motto," groaned Meowth, face palming. "We's already went through that back in chapter two's and the kids at home don't want's repeats."

"But we always give our motto in each of the episodes we appear in on the show," claimed James, even though none of the Twerps above them knew what he was talking about. _Team Rocket? On a TV show?_ though Ash._ What? Who on earth would watch a show with them in it?_

"But we's usually only say's it once every episode."

"But it's so catchy," commented Jessie.

Ash was getting impatient with the Rocket's ridiculous argument. _And I thought my arguments with Misty were ridiculous. _"Listen, we don't have time for this, you three," he stated. His voice and demeanor then grew serious. "Now, before I let Pikachu unleash a Thunderbolt on you three just for the heck of it, I have a couple of questions to ask that you better answer truthfully if you know what's good for you."

"And what if we refuse, Twerp?" Jessie asked rudely.

"Yea," continued Meowth. "We's don't have to answer to you's!"

"Pikachu, you know what to do!"

"Pikaaaa...!"

"OK! OK! OK! WE'LL TALK! WE'LL TALK! WE'LL TALK!" all three of them cried hysterically. Pikachu powered down and Ash began his interrogation with the Rockets.

"Alright, that's what I thought. Now, what do you three clowns know about the Cerulean City Gym?"

"Hey, isn't that the Gym where the Twerp's girlfriend, the Twerpette with Red Hair, is the Gym Leader?" Jessie asked no one in particular.

"I think it is Jess," answered James. "Aww, the Twerp misses his precious girlfriend."

"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!" _But Mew,__ I wish she was._

Serena became confused and worried. "Did I miss something here about Ash and Misty?" she whispered to May and Dawn. The two girls looked at each other and then back to Serena. They didn't know about Serena's true feelings toward Ash, but they knew she liked him one way or another, whether as a friend or more than a friend.

"We'll explain later, ok?" May whispered back with a hand over her mouth. Serena nodded in response, hoping what they were going to tell her later wasn't what she feared: Ash being in love with Misty.

"Whatever, Twerp. What's your girlfriend have to do with us?" smart-mouthed Jessie.

Ash was silent for a few seconds and then he spoke. "Her gym was destroyed three days ago. All the Pokémon were rescued, but..." Ash gritted his teeth angrily at this part, "Misty was attacked and kidnapped."

Team Rocket gasped in shock. Meowth that's right, gasped in shock. Despite being the arch nemeses of the Twerp, they secretly grew fond of him and his friends (if you don't count the Black &amp; White Series era when for some reason they were turned truly evil. Must have been the suits) and hearing that something terrible happened to the Twerpette with Red Hair and her gym shocked them greatly. However, they had their evil reputation to think of (What evil reputation?) and quickly acted like they wouldn't give a Raticate's tail about her.

"S-So?" Jessie asked coldly. At least she tried to make it sound coldly.

Tracey stepped forward and showed them the note that read _**The Ketchum kid is next!** _"Whoever did this to her and her gym left this. And whoever did this was from Team Rocket."

"Huh?" Team Rocket again turned their attention towards the note. They then noticed the bold _**R**_ on the bottom. They gasped.

"Wait-Wait-Wait-Wait! Are you accusing.. US of this?!" protested James.

"Of course not," stated Dawn. "We all know you guys are too stupid to pull something like that off."

"Yea see, James?" Jessie stated. "We're too stup- Wait a minute... WHO ARE YOU CALLING STUPID, YOU LITTLE BRAT!? WHY I OTTA COME OUT THERE AND GIVE YOU SOME SERIOUS FURY SWIPES TO THE FACE! THEN YOU'LL BE SORRY!"

"Chill out," stated Dawn with disgust on the though of Jessie's nails attacking her face.

"Anyways," Ash said, trying to get back on topic, "no, we don't think you did it. However, you three are going to help us find out who from Team Rocket one way or another."

"And just how's exactly are we's supposed to help you's?" asiked Meowth.

"You are going to tell us if you know anything about any plots going around Team Rocket involving me and Misty."

"Humph. We's ain't telling you nothing."

"It's not like we have anything to hide anyways."

"Well, except for... oops."

"JAMES, YOU NIMCOMPOOP! KEEP YOUR BIG MOUTH SHUT!"

"No no," said Brock," tell us James. What's on your mind?"

I'LL NEVER TALK!"

"Pikachu?" ordered Ash.

"Pikaaaaa..."

"OK! OK! OK! THERE IS A RUMOR GOING AROUND AT THE BASE OF SOME KIND OF EXPERIMENTS!"

Pikachu once again powered down while Ash quickly jumped down into the pit, grabbed James by the shirt and growled, "What experiments?"

_I've never seen the Twerp so ticked off before. He must have really taken whatever happened to the Red-Haired Twerpette pretty badly. _"Now take in mind we have nothing to do with any of it. We're just three Pokémon thieves trying to make a dishonest living."

"Go on. I haven't got all day."

"Well, rumor has it that Giovanni, our boss, recently hired some scientists for some new project he's working on. Something about new genetic Pokémon or something like that."

"Didn't we already go through all that with the Legendary Pokémon Mewtwo?"**(Author's Notes: My favorite Pokémon, by the way)**

"Yes," continued Jessie. "However, this time. rumor has it that the scientists are not making this genetic Pokémon self aware at all, whereas it can't blow up the lap again."

"Yeah," continued James, "and there was something about needing all the powers of every Pokémon out there to finish it. Something about a weapon that drains the powers of all Pokémon, even the most powerful ones."

Gary walked over to James and frowned. "If your not involved, how do you know so much about this 'rumor'?" he questioned, using his fingers for quotation marks at the word "rumor."

"Rocket Gossip Hotline," Jessie explained, holding up a magazine called (you guessed it) _Rocket Gossip Hotline_. Everyone sweatdropped.

"Now, this doesn't make sense," said a confused Ash. "What does all this have to do with Misty and me?"

"No Ash, this makes perfect sense," stated Brock.

"Huh?"

"Think about it, Ash. **(Author's Notes: Ash? Thinking? Sounds dangerous. For him that is. Not hating on the kid, but he isn't the brightest cookie in the jar) **How many times have you saved the world? Or battled and defeated Team Rocket? Or Team Aqua? Or Team Magma? Or any other evil organization out there?"

"Well.. countless times," Ash replied, rubbing the back of his neck with his right hand.

"Well then, I think I realize the reason behind Misty's kidnapping and the injured Pokémon. For one, she's a Gym Leader and normally Gym Leaders have pretty powerful Pokémon. So it is possible she is one of many to come victims. Second of all, Team Rocket, knowing that you have saved the world from them and others countless times, they see you as a potential threat to their plan."

"Then why don't they just come to my face and fight me?!"

"Because they don't want it that easy, Ash," continued Max, also realizing what's going on. "They want you to come to them. That's why they took Misty! They want to lure you in so they can keep you from ruining their plans and kill you!"

"But what I don't understand is WHY Misty!?"

Brock stepped up and putted his hand on Ash's shoulder. "Perhaps it's because they want to lure you in with the person who means the most to you."

Ash knew that was truer than anything else about him, but he wasn't about to let everyone know that. "Misty isn't even my friend anymore. How would that be even possible?" he whispered sadly to Brock, making sure he was the only one who heard him.

Brock was... shocked isn't even the word. He was flabbergasted and confused. His two best friends? Who he traveled with for five years? Who he knew that they secretly were in love with each other despite their constant arguments and stubbornness to admit their feelings for each other? Ash and Misty? No longer friends? _Wait, _he thought, _if they're not friends anymore, why is Ash going to rescue her? What could he have done so badly to want to redeem himself to Misty? _ Brock didn't like any of this, needless to say, but he decided it was best to bring it up to Ash later.

"We're going to Team Rocket Headquarters," Ash said turning his attention back to Jessie, James, and Meowth. "We're going to make sure that genetic Pokémon doesn't get completed. We're going to save Misty and any other Gym Leader and their Pokémon who haven't been attacked."

"You's do's realize," said Meowth, "that you's are walking into a trap, right?"

"Yep. And you're taking us there."

"WHAT?!" all three Rockets yelled simultaneously. "ARE YOU NUTS?! WE WILL DO NO SUCH THING!"

"Pikachu?" ordered Ash.

"Pikaaaa..."

"WELL YOU KNOW WE WEREN'T PLANNING ON GIVING A TOUR BUT YOU KNOW WE HAVE NOTHING BETTER TO DO TODAY SO SURE WHY NOT! JUST PLEASE DON'T LET THAT RODENT SHOCK US! PLEASE! MERCY!"

"WOBBUFFET!"

Pikachu once again powered down with a snicker. Ash nodded and smiled. "I knew you would see things my way." They then helped Ash and Team Rocket out of the hole with a rope ladder May pulled out of nowhere. Ash sent Charizard earlier to find the way out of the forest knowing how Team Rocket likes to get lost. He returned and led them out of the forest to the east. At that moment Team Rocket led them to the path towards the secret base, warning them that danger lurks on the way there.

Hey, what's an evil hideout without the dangerous path? They have to have some way to scare people away.

* * *

Chapter 6! There you have it! Longest chapter so far! So what do you guys think? Like? Dislike? Review and let me know. And yes, I will be showing off a made up Pokémon. Can't wait to see your reactions. Well I gotta split. MarioBoss365 is blasting off again! (ping)


	7. The Cavern of Monstrous Pokémon

First of all I want to apologize for updating late, but there was no internet at camp. But man, TOTALLY worth it! Camp was so awesome this year with the laser tag, water obstacle course, see some good ol' friends I only get to see once or twice a year. So all in all, it was worth the delay- for me that is. Plus that double rainbow at the end of the week. DOUBLE RAINBOW ALL THE WAY! *ahem* Anyways, I also had some trouble making this chapter the way I wanted to be, so when I returned from camp, I was up constantly day and night trying to come up with good ideas. An well, this is what I came up with. So without further ado, chapter 7! Here we go, folks.

Before we start, I would like to give a special thanks to my friend Jacob for helping me out with some of the ideas of the Pokémon in this story. Bless your face, Jake!

This story is, again, a Pokeshipping story for all to enjoy. Except for haters. Oh well. Haters gonna hate. But seriously, how can you not think Ash and Misty look cute together? I, and all fellow Pokeshippers, know they are perfect for each other. Eat your heart out, Serena and any other girl who likes Ash!

I don't own Pokémon nor is it possible I will own Pokémon any time soon. If I did, well, Ash Ketchum would be a character people would actually like. He would've matured (and aged) as the show went on, such as going from the immature ten year old to a completely B.A. (as in Badtastically Awesome) Pokémon trainer, or master, at the age of 15. Just saying...

WOBBUFFET!

* * *

**Chapter 7: The Cavern of Monstrous Pokémon **

_You know, we didn't spend all our times together fighting with each other on our traveling journeys together. Me and Ash (and Brock of course) had plenty of great adventures together. And even though some of them may have been life-threatening, I wouldn't have had it any other way. One of our first most dangerous experiences we had was when we were shipwrecked aboard the St. Anne. Ash had just received his Thunder Badge when we spotted this luxury cruise ship known as the St. Anne. We couldn't afford it at first until these two __ganguro girls, who turned out to be Jessie and James in disguise, gave us tickets to get on board to take part in a Pokémon Trainer party on board. Being the Pokémon lovers we are, we couldn't resist. Little did we know that the party was a ruse to allow Team Rocket to steal the attending Trainers' Pokémon. While onboard, Ash observed a Raticate defeating a Starmie. Ash challenged the Raticate with his Butterfree. Though the Raticate's owner removed his Pokémon before the battle ended, he was impressed with Ash's Butterfree and offered a trade. Ash trades his Butterfree for the Raticate, but soon regretted his decision. (He later traded it back.) While all us Trainers were gathered in one room, the ship's employees revealed themselves to be members of Team Rocket! As they sucked up PokéBalls with vacuum-like devices, we all fought back; all our Pokémon teamed up to multiply their attacks and drove back the bad guys. It was pretty awesome, I have to say. During all the commotion, a tumultuous storm brewed outside. Eventually, the ship rocked violently, and the consensus was to abandon ship. Only we and the Team Rocket Trio were unable to flee, as we were knocked unconscious by the jerking movements of the ship—then the ship flipped over and sunk! When we regained consciousness, we were forced to work together with Team Rocket to get out of the sunken ship. Easier said than done, but together we battled our way through raging fires, storms, and a heard of really ticked Gyarados. The next thing I knew I woke up to a very worried and concerned Ash by my side on an island. (Aww. he was concern about me! X3) We were temporarily separated from our Pokémon until we ran into them while escaping from Godzilla-sized Pokémon. We managed to escape from the giants, which turned out to be robots, and we found an island resort/town called Port Visa on the other side of the island. Excited, Ash, Brock, and I decided to have a well-deserved vacation. And Mew, what a vacation it was! And I could of sworn that during that vacation. Ash was drooling over me while I had my hair down and was wearing a pink kimono with Goldeen on it while we were at the Maiden's Peak Festival. And he was willing to dance with me, though he was very shy about it. Hmm... could it... be? No, girl, you are in way over your head. Ash couldn't have had felt anything towards me like THAT._

_Still..._

As they continued onward...

Ash and Co. followed the Team Rocket Trio on the trail towards Team Rocket Secret Headquarters. Since Jessie, James, and Meowth were still wanted criminals, despite their stupidity (well that's more towards Jessie and James than Meowth), Ash and the gang had to make sure they weren't caught with outlaws. Of course, the Jessie and James had to be equally as careful not to be caught by other Team Rocket members seeing them helping the Twerps. Either way, both groups would be in serious trouble. Nevertheless, Ash and Co. followed Team Rocket through the entrance towards the secret path towards their headquarters: a really, really deep, dark underground cavern. Jessie and James led the group through the dark cavern with Ash, Pikachu, and Brock right behind them. Following them were the girls Serena (who as close to Ash as she could possibly get without making him feel uncomfortable), May, and Dawn who was accompanied by her Piplup. Gary and Tracey weren't far behind them while Meowth and Max were the caboose.

"(Gulp) So this is the s-secret path towards your secret lair?" asked a very trembling May. "Kind of a c-creepy path, don't you think?"

"Hey, if it was a friendly, appealing looking path, everyone would be using it," protested Jessie. "Then it wouldn't be much of a secret then, now would it?"

"Yeah, that's... that's actually a good point and well made." _I can't believe I'm saying that to her of all people._

"So, how long is this cavern?" Ash asked.

"Well," answered James, "it's about two and a half miles long at least. Should at least take an hour or so for us to get out of here just as long as we don't run into any (gulp) misfortunes along the way."

"Mis-Misfortunes?!" trembled May once again. "Wha-What do you mean by that?!" _Oh Mew, where's Drew when I need him?!_ she thought, really wanting someone to comfort her right now in her time of just about freaking out.

"Oh, well, "answered Jessie, "let's- let's just say some Pokémon here don't exactly enjoy, um, having guests."

"Wha-what kind of Pokémon?" asked Dawn, joining May on the "Near Freaking Out Squad."

"James and I have only seen them a couple of times but we never saw the full Pokémon. All we know is there are some really big Pokémon around here."

"H-How big approximately?"

"As big as..."

Suddenly, the group heard soft growling from the right wall beside them. They hesitantly turned around to where it was coming from. Using the flashlight James was holding they spotted a nest of sleeping Golem, turtle-like bipedal Pokémon with plated, green rocks as their shells. The thing was, like Jessie explained, these Golem were unusually huge with a height of at least 20 feet tall. Their backs were just barely a few feet under the ceiling of the cavern and that was when they were sleeping.

"Oh," the two coordinators trembled, "Th-th-that b-b-bi-bi-ig."

"Nobody make a sound," whispered Brock. "Everyone remain calm and we'll walk quietly right pass them without disturbing them, got it?"

"Right," whispered Ash, Tracey, and Gary.

"Got it/Pika," whispered Serena, Max, Pikachu.

"I-If y-y-ou sa-say so-o-o," whispered May and Dawn fearfully.

"Aye yi, captain," whispered Team Rocket.

"Wwaabb-auffet."

Unfortunately, the moment Wobbuffet emerged from his Pokéball, he stepped on a stick that snapped at impact. The snap was just enough to wake up the Golem Giants. (which sounds like a football team.) The giants took one look at the frightened group and each let out a ferocious roar. They weren't too happy at the group for waking them up. Jessie took a moment to glare at her Pokémon for his stupidity, causing Wobbuffet to sweatdrop.

"Wobba." (Sorry)

One by one, each Golem Giant rose to its feet and glared daggers down at the group. Ash gulped and Serena clung to his arm for protection. "I think now will be a good time to run for our lives," squealed James with fear. May and Dawn nervously clung to each other and nodded their heads in agreement. At the sound of the roar of the front Golem Giant, which was probably the leader, Ash and Co. took off towards the opposite direction of the Golem Giants into another tunnel. Unforunately, the Golem Giants formed into giant boulders and rolled towards the group in an attempt of crushing them.

Ash and the gang ran as fast as they could to avoid being squashed to death. They managed to jump over what could've been a bottomless pit but no one was willing to take the time to figure it out. Serena almost fell in but was pulled back by her crush, Ash. _He's so brave, _she thought. They made a sharp turn through a tunnel on the right in hopes of throwing off the Golem Giants, but their hopes were quickly dashed as the Giants made the turn perfectly. They kept running but were getting tired. Just then, Ash spotted a slide-like path and motioned for the group to make their way down. The group had no time to hesitate and quickly slid down the narrow path. Unfortunately, this didn't stop the Golem Giants from continuing the chase. If anything, they sped up closer to their victims. Pretty soon, the group was about to reach the limit of running. Team Rocket had just about given up.

"WE'RE NOT GONNA MAKE IT!" screamed James.

"I'S DON'T WANT TO"S DIE!" screamed Meowth. "IT'S TO'S EARLY IN THIS BOOK FOR US TO DIE! NOT TAT I'M INVITING YOU TO'S KILL US OFF IN THIS STORY, YA DARN AUTHOR!"

"We're not gonna die!" yelled Brock. "We just need to get these guys off our tail! Steelix, Geodude, go!"

Following Brock's lead, Ash and the others, minus May, Dawn, and Team Rocket, spun around and unleashed their Pokémon they knew could help get rid of the Giants.

"Charizard, Pikachu, Snorlax, go for it!" yelled Ash.

"Blastoise, Golem, I choose you!" yelled Gary.

"Gyarados, it's your turn!" yelled Tracey.

"Go, Squirtle and Kingler!" yelled Max.

"Greninja, Jolteon, you're up!" yelled Serena.

At that moment, all the called Pokémon, minus Pikachu who was already out, emerged from their Pokéballs and quickly unleashed attacks at the Golem Giants. Steelix, Geodude, Charizard, Snorlax, Gary's Golem, Gyarados, and Blastoise used their brute strength to hold back the rampaging Giants while also slowing them down. Then Blastoise joined Squirtle and Kingler in using Water Gun at the Giants while Greninja used Waterfall on them to help out as well. Then the stronger of the Pokémon stood back as Jolteon sent a massive Thunderbolt followed by a Volt Tackle from Pikachu at the Giants; stopping them completely in their tracks while causing them all to faint.

The group breathed a huge sigh of relief and returned their Pokémon. "Whew. Heh heh, that was close," sighed Ash. Dawn and May gave a nervous laugh in response. However, none of them were out of the woods (Or in this case, cavern) yet. Suddenly the group felt the group under them shaking intensely. They turned their attention to where the Golem Giants were still lying unconscious. That's when they saw the Golem being sucked up by the ground. Suddenly, a group of six feet tall Diglett and Dugtrio came from underneath where the Giants fell underground and were quickly digging towards the group. "RUN!" yelled Ash. No one hesitated to question and quickly followed Ash away from the Diglett and Dugtrio stampede.

"I SWEAR IF WE HAVE TO RUN AWAY FROM EVERY SINGLE LIVING THING IN THIS MEW FORSAKEN CAVERN, I'M GOING TO LOSE IT!" screamed Jessie.

"WOBBUFFET!"

So again the group continued their running, hoping that they were soon out of the cavern. To be honest, none of them were even sure if they were even on the right path. All that mattered to them now was they just wanted to get out of this cavern before things got worst. Then as if by cue while they were running from the stampeding Pokémon, they noticed that the cavern was caving in due to the rumbling caused by the Diglett and Dugtrio. That and the ground was constantly shaking so it was a miracle that anyone stayed on their feet while running. Serena almost fell over and would have become an unfortunate victim of being trampled over by the Pokémon and buried underneath the collapsing cavern if it weren't for the chivalrous Ash Ketchum to once again grab her by her wrist and pull her back just in the nick of time. He picked her up Hero style, causing Serena to blush a bright red, and continued his running. He didn't even take time to notice her blush or how she smiled sweetly at her savior, but now was not the time for that anyway.

Meanwhile, Charizard emerged from his ball and started unleashed multiple Flamthrowers at the stampeding Pokémon, knocking down a few at a time. But what was making this hard on the Fire type was once one Diglett or Dugtrio went down, two more, or six more in the Dugtrio case, took its place. (Hail HYDRA?) As soon as the mighty dragon took out what seemed like 200 Diglett of Dugtrio, Charizard just about fainted from sheer exhaustion just as Ash managed to return him to his Pokéball. (Which was hard enough for him to do while running for dear life without having to carry a girl in your arms in the process.)

By now, everyone knew they were going to faint very soon. Here they all were, being chased first by the Golem Giants, then by a never ending stampede of six foot tall Diglett and Dugtrio who would destroy anything in their path; including the very cavern they were in. Needless to say, they quickly need to do something besides run. That was seriously getting old fast. But if Charizard, one of the strongest Pokémon they had with them, couldn't stop them, then what could else they do?

Then out of the blue, Ash got an idea. "Tracey, release Misty's Gyarados again and have it send a Flamethrower at the stampede!"

"Ash, are you sure that's such a good idea?!"

"There's no time to debate this! Just trust me!"

Tracey nodded and released the mighty water serpent. As soon as it was released it Tracey ordered Gyarados unleash a huge Flamethrower at the stampede which it obliged to do. The Flamethrower was by far superior to Charizard's as the attack knocked out the front lines of the the stampede. The attack caused the rest of the stampede to lose focus and slow down; making them vulnerable.

"Now Brock, release Steelix!"

"Way ahead of ya, big guy! Steetlix, come out and use Iron Tail then on the ground around the Diglett and then on them!"

Steelix nodded and with that the end of it's body started glowing white until it slammed it unto the ground around them multiple times, creating pits surrounding the stampede, causing the stampede to come to a complete stop in their tracks, which also stopped the earthquake. Unfortunately for them, they didn't stop fast enough for most of them to keep from falling into the pits.

"Now Gary, release Blastoise!"

"Copy that! Blastoise, I choose you! Use Water Gun followed by Rapid Spin!"

Blastoise obeyed and shot huge gusts of water out of his water cannons on its shell at the stampede. Pulling its head, arms, legs and cannons into its shell, it then started spinning like a disc into the Diglett and Dugtrio, knocking them out one by one into the pits.

"Perfect! Right where I want them! Alright Pikachu, now use your Iron Tail on the ceiling above them!"

Pikachu's tail then became surrounded in white-hot sparks until it was completely surrounded in a white outline. His tail then turned into iron and slammed it against the ceiling of the cavern, causing rocks and bolders to fall on top of the Diglett and Dugtrio, burying them underground.

As the most recent threat lay unconscious, because Diglett and Dugtrio can survive underground, the group all sat down and all breathed a huge sigh of relief. Some of them, Dawn and May specifically, started laughing nervously, but were just glad it was all over.

Team Rocket then all fell on their back simultaneously. "That's enough excitement for one day," sighed Jessie. "A girl can only take so much."

"You said it," agreed May, though she was seriously starting to get annoyed at herself for agreeing with the enemy. _Mew, if this becomes frequent, I'm blasting them off myself._

Through all the excitement, Serena forgot to notice that she was still holding on to Ash, who was still holding her Hero style. Blushing intensely, she let go of Ash and moved off of him and looked away, hiding her red face. "Sorry about that, Ash."

"OH, uh, no-no problem," Ash stated nervously.

"Hey guys! Look!" exclaimed Dawn, pointing to the ceiling above the buried Diglett and Dugtrio.

Or at least, _where _the ceiling used to be.

"Amazing," acknowledged Brock, Pikachu's Iron Tail was so effective, it took down the whole cavern ceiling above the Pokémon stampede."

"Hey yeah! Way to go, Pikachu!" Ash congratulated his first Pokémon ever companion.

Pikachu rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Pi, Pika Pikachu Chu." (Aw, it was nothing.)

After that, the group got on top of Gyarados's head one by one so it could lift each and every one of them out onto the top where they were now officially out of the cavern. _THANK GOD!_ thought both May and Dawn. After they all got out, James turned and noticed that they indeed were way past where they needed to get out of the cavern. Nonetheless, the Team Rocket trio had been through this area many times so it wasn't gonna be hard finding their way back on the path toward Team Rocket HQ. As they continued on, Ash pondered in his mind what was happening to Misty right now.

Needless to say, he was worried.

VERY worried.

Meanwhile, somewhere far far away...

Her consciousness was slowly returning to her as she was starting to feel the constant pain she only received three days back. She could feel her head throbbing with pain like she never experienced before (physically that is). _Where... am I? What's... happening... to me? _she thought morosely. She would've said it aloud but was in enough pain already to make talking just another bother. She could barely open her eyes as it was. She had numerous cuts all over her. A huge gash of dried blood was on the back of her head staining her already red hair. She had a small cut on both her lip and a respectively large bruise on her forehead. Her clothes were torn and she could barely feel her legs or arms other than the tingling of pain from the glass cuts she received shortly after her Gym was attacked. She just laid there in a dark and cold cell somewhere out there in the Pokémon World. For once in her life, she felt absolutely vulnerable. For once in her life, she felt no courage, but only fear. For once in her life, she was scared of dying right then and there. For the first time in her life, she wanted help. For the first time in her life, she admitted that she needed help.

_Someone... please... help... me..._

A tear made its way down her face.

"The prisoner has somewhat regained consciousness, sir."

"Excellent. She for sure wouldn't want to miss the show. How many more Gyms have we to (hee hee) 'visit'?"

"Twenty three I believe, my lord."

"Perfect. Make sure you inform the boss know that we are almost to awakening the Pokémon."

"Yes sir. But if I may, why have we only captured this Gym Leader and not the others when we attacked their gyms?"

"Patience. Soon _he _will arrive for her and then you will see why she is of use."

"... Yes sir."

"Everything is perfectly going according to plan. Eh ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

* * *

Well finally, after long, long, LONG hours of getting this written, its finally done! Chapter 7! Hope you guys enjoy and for crying out loud people, don't be shy to review! I notice I'm starting to lack in those! Come on guys. I like hearing your feedback. Here, how is this: post in the review and tell me what Pokémon should the group go up against next in their quest. And by the way, Ash and Serena will NOT be getting together in this story. Just so you know. And guess what? I will soon have Ash reveal what happened in that last argument between him and Misty. Anyways, review, favorite, and follow while I soon get started on chapter 8. Well, I gotta split. See ya next time.


	8. A Mistake I Can't Take Back

Chapter 8! Folks, I have to warn you. This is the sad chapter. That's right. You have waited for it and here it is: the chapter revealing _that _argument. Yeah you all know what I'm talking about. Well, hope you enjoy and review.

AshxMisty. So, will they ever get together after what Ash did? I guess we will find out in the future.

I don't own Pokémon. It stinks, doesn't it? Oh well.

* * *

**Chapter 8: A Mistake I can't Take Back **

_Ash's next Gym battle was up against the psychic Gym leader Sabrina of Saffron City. __But as the official gym battle began, Pikachu was helpless against her Pokémon, Abra. To make matters worse, Abra evolved in the middle of the match, turning into the more powerful Kadabra. Employing even stronger psychic powers against Pikachu, Saffron City's Gym Leader defeated Ash without breaking a sweat. After escaping the girl's doll house (it's a long story) with the help from some mysterious man, he later told us the story behind the Gym Leader's disturbing powers that everyone seems to fear. And for a good reason too. (WELL, HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE TURNED INTO A DOLL?! IT ISN'T ALL FUN AND GAMES!) He then explained that the only way to defeat a Psychic Pokémon was with a Ghost Pokémon and that the nearest place to find one was in Lavender Town. Ash didn't waste any time getting there, with me and Brock right behind him. Of course, the chicken inside of him opened up when we came across the haunted Pokémon Tower. Yeah, it was haunted. How else could you explain the moving tables, glassware, and chairs? Once we ran outside, we were all exhausted from running. Brock and I were fully convinced not to go back in. Ash still wanted to go in, but his Pokémon were not as willing. Ash tried convincing them as Pikachu remembered losing to Kadabra. Ash and his Pokémon were willing to take another shot, but Brock and I still stayed behind. After what seemed like hours and hours of waiting for that boy to come back out, I was getting very worried something happened to him. I feared the worst. I was so worried, I swore I was hearing things. Then to make matters worse, some Ghost Pokémon decided to pick me up only to dangle me in the air and then drop me into Brock's arms. (Dang, I wish they were Ash's arms I fell into instead.) Now scared to death, Brock and I ran into the tower, only to find what I had feared the most: the lifeless bodies of Ash and Pikachu which were under a fallen chandelier. We quickly pulled their bodies out and hoped and prayed by some miracle they weren't really dead. I tried shaking his shoulder, calling his name, pleading him not to be dead. I was soon on the verge of crying. I couldn't have lost him. I would've never had the chance to tell him I lo... Then suddenly, the miracle happened. I heard the words, "Hey Misty," coming from his mouth. He was alive! My Ash was alive! (Oh, and so was Pikachu) I was so happy, I had to use all my strength not jump on him with a hug. I did however shed some tears of joy. I didn't lose him. Oh yeah, and he somehow caught a Haunter that later defeated Sabrina. Not in the normal way a battle should end, but it worked. Ash got the Marsh Badge after all. And of course, I was very proud of him. NOT that I was going to let him know that, mind you! I had a tough girl image to keep!_

Later that evening...

The group set up camp in a clearing in the middle of a forest they found along the treacherous path to Rocket HQ. It had been about three hours since the cavern episode and everyone was ready to sit down and rest. The sun set over the group as they got settled in for the night. Brock got his pot, pans, and kitchen utensils together and started cooking dinner. The girls started putting up their tents with their sleeping bags inside while the guys gathered firewood and then put up their sleeping bags in another tent a few yards away from the girl's tent. May then had Blaziken use a small Ember attack on the firewood to start a cheery blaze. Afterwards, everyone sat down and ate the stew and rice balls Brock had cooked up. The Pokémon were also fed their Pokémon food Brock had made for them. After everyone finished, May had Wartortle use Water Gun attack to put the fire out. Everyone then settled into their sleeping bags and within a few minutes everyone had drifted off to sleep.

Everyone that is, except for Ash Ketchum.

After he waited a few more minutes to make sure Pikachu was fast asleep, he quietly made his way out of the tent and rested his head down on one of the logs surrounding the campsite. As he laid there, he looked up at the moon and stars above him. All those stars above him reminded him of all the times he star gazed with his mom years back when Ash was around seven years old. They were camping in their backyard, just having a grand ol' time. Then the happy memory faded only to be replaced by another time he was star gazing with someone special. This time it was during his Johto journey. Or really, it was at the end of his Johto journey. As he remembered it, it was a beautiful starry night, like the one he was witnessing just now. Difference was, he was in the Viridian Forest with only two companions, three if you count Pikachu, with him. Brock was there, but was sleeping. Pikachu was in Ash's lap, also sleeping and dreaming sweet dreams. Most likely of Ketchup. Then there was the other companion with Ash, who was sitting only a couple of inches away from him; wide awake. Misty. Ash remembered her right by him as they both gazed at the stars dominating the sky above them. Ash was still getting over his lost at the Johto Sliver Conference and Misty took it upon herself to cheer him up...

(Flashback)

"It's beautiful, isn't it Ash?" Misty asked sweetly to her best friend sitting right beside her, referring to the stars.

"Yeah, sure," mumbled Ash, still kind of bummed over his recent lost. Misty noticed this and sighed. If this had happened some time after they met, she would've smacked him outside of the head with her trusty mallet and yell something like, "QUIT BEING SUCH A BABY! NOW SUCK IT UP, LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES, AND MOVE ON BEFORE I MAKE YOU WITH MY MALLET!" But times have changed for both of them since they first met, and by now they had become really close to each other. They barely argued anymore, but when they did fight it never got as heated as it used to. It was mostly just friendly teasing. They had become so close that they were now best friends, inseparable from each other. They now always had each other's back whenever the other person needed them. And now was when Ash needed Misty and she took it upon herself to comfort her best friend.

"Look Ash," she said, placing her hand on top of his hand causing him to blush which went unnoticed by her, "I'm sorry that you lost the Sliver Conference. I know how it feels to lose a competition after trying so hard and with all the confidence in the world. But listen, I don't want this loss to bring you down. This isn't the end of the world. You gotta fail before you can succeed. Take Lance the Dragon Master for instance. He didn't become part of the Elite Four after his first Pokémon battle. He had to work to earn his title and role in the Four. And I bet you, the path there wasn't easy. He most likely lost a lot of battles and maybe some competitions along the way. But he never gave up. He kept persevering and kept getting stronger and stronger and before you anyone one knew it, he became the Lance we all know today. That can be you too, Ash. You may not have won back in Johto and you won't win everything, I'm sorry to say, but you can learn from your mistakes and use what you learned to your advantage. And before you know it, you WILL become a Pokémon Master. I know you will. You were destined for greatness." At that, Ash looked at her with a surprised look on his face." I've watched you grow as a trainer since day one and you have matured as a trainer so much since then. You have a really strong bond with each and every one of your Pokémon that I've never seen anyone else ever have. Be strong, and in time, and with perseverance, courage, and strength, you will stand victorious as the greatest Pokémon Master who ever lived with Pikachu and the rest of your Pokémon, along with Brock and me by your side. We all believe in you Ash Ketchum. But most of all, _I_ believe in you."

Ash was surprised to say the least. He knew he could always count on Misty to be there for him, but he never expected her to have _that_ much faith in him. After she finished, Ash smiled and brought his best friend over for a quick embrace, which made her blush but smile nonetheless. "Thank you, Misty," he whispered. "Coming from you, that means a lot to me."

"Anytime, Ash. You know I'm always there for you and I will be till the very end."

"I sure hope so."

Misty started to giggle. "Face it, Ketchum, you're stuck with me."

Ash chuckled and smiled at his best friend and, though he didn't know it at the time, his secret crush. "Misty?"

"Yeah?"

"We will be friends forever. Won't we?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course we will, silly."

"Promise you will be there to see me become a Master?"

Misty smiled. "I promise. And I also promise to support you all the way."

"Thanks Mist." The two smiled at each other. Misty then wanted to say so much more. _Something_ so totally off the topic of Pokémon, that involved her feelings, but never got the chance as she noticed that Ash was getting sleepy. The two then settled into their sleeping bags and went to sleep, unaware of the sad event that was to take place the following day...

(End Flashback)

Ash wished it didn't have to end the way it did. They had spent that night together thinking they would always be traveling together, but Ash found himself the next night without her or even Brock. That was the tragic day she got the call from her sisters to come home to take care of the gym while they were gone. Ash remember his heart shattering to pieces when he realized she was no longer going to be traveling with him. To hide his sorrow, he tried to put on his brave face in an attempt to be strong for her. That would prove to be a mistake. Which was when Misty took Ash's brave face as a sign that he was actually was happy to see her go. And after all that was said the night before. Ash instantly regretted his mistake and made sure to let her know he really would miss her and promised they would see each other again. By the end of the day, Misty and Brock, who had to return to home to Pewter City briefly for family issues but would return to travel with Ash within the next few months, left Ash and went their separate ways, leaving Ash running and crying his way home. On that day, Ash realized what that weird feeling inside of him was that he had every time he was around Misty since he saw her for the first time with her hair down and in that beautiful pink kimono at the Maiden's Peak Festival. He loved her. With all his heart. But by the time he realized what it was, it was too late. She was gone. Back home in Cerulean City while he went off to follow his dreams. But now. Now it was even worst. Not only was she no longer traveling with him, but because of an even bigger mistake than the one he made the day she left, they weren't even friends anymore. Secretly, he was hoping that she had forgiven him since, but highly doubted it because of how badly he had hurt her. Despite his guilt and knowing that she would never forgive him for what he did, he still loved her and no one else. Not May. Not Dawn. Not Iris. And not even Serena. He loved Misty, no matter what. And that was why he was hurting so badly, knowing he ruined any chance of her loving him back. But it was also why he was still willing to sacrifice his own life to save her. That was all that mattered to him now. He wanted he to be safe and happy; even if it wasn't with him.

Ash was suddenly interrupted from his thoughts when he noticed that both Brock and Tracey were sitting next to him. They had both heard him get up and had decided that now was the time for both of them to get some answers out of Ash concerning his now non-relationship with Misty. And as the two oldest of the group and the two who have spent the most time around Ash and Misty the most during their travels, they decided it was up to them to find out what went wrong and why Ash still planned on going after her, besides the obvious with his chivalry kicking in. "Hey Ash," Brock said as soon as Ash knew he wasn't alone. What's up?"

Ash sighed and continued his gaze at the stars. "Nothing. Just... thinking."

"What about, man?" asked Tracey.

Ash closed his eyes and sighed again. "I'd rather not talk about."

"You might as well fess up, Ash," noted Brock. "We already know you're thinking about Misty. And before you ask us how we knew, we've known you long enough to know what usually is on your mind even if yourself has no clue what you're thinking." Ash said nothing. Brock sighed and then put his hand on his younger friend's shoulder. "Look Ash, me and Trace here want to help. We know something happened between you and Misty and we want to help you the best we can."

"We're here for you, pal," Tracey added. "That's why we weren't gonna let you go on this quest by yourself. So please tell us... what happened between you and Misty?"

Ash really didn't want to tell them. He never told anyone what happened. The only one who knew about it was Pikachu, and Ash had no idea how he knew since he wasn't with him when it happened. And yet, Ash felt maybe it was best to get it off his chest and who better to tell than to his brother figure Brock and his close friend Tracey. "First answer me this. How long did you guys know something happened between us?" Ash finally asked.

"I knew since you told me earlier today when we recruited Team Rocket," answered Brock.

"Misty actually told me right before she was attacked," answered Tracey.

"And now the only thing we don't know is _what_ happened between you two. So, are you going to open up and tell us, big guy?"

"... Alright, I guess you guys deserve to hear the truth. It happened the day before I left for Sinnoh...

(Flashback)

It was a beautiful day in Pallet Town as Ash Ketchum made his way up a hill where a lone tree stood and bloomed beautifully. He had left Pikachu and the rest of his Pokémon at Professor Oak's Laboratory to play. Today he was going to have some alone time with someone he hadn't seen in a while: his best friend and secret love interest, Misty Waterflower. When he got up there, he saw her walking up from the opposite side of the hill. She was wearing her original wardrobe she wore during their travels together: a yellow tank top, blue short shorts, a pair of suspenders, and white shoes. She had her red hair up in its usual side ponytail. In her hands was a picnic basket which contained a bunch of sandwiches, some potato chips, and rice balls. Once she saw Ash, she smiled sweetly at her best friend. He returned it.

"Hey Ash."

"Hey Mist."

Misty blushed at the mention of the little pet name he had given her near the end of their Johto travels. They then got the blanket they were going to use out and then set the plates and food out on the blanket. Misty then motioned for Ash come and sit close to her. Ash greatly obliged, but little did he know the true intentions why Misty had asked him to have a picnic together before he left for his next Pokémon journey. She had made up her mind: Today was going to be the day. No backing out THIS time. She was going to pour her soul out to Ash here and now and finally let him know how she had truly felt about him since the day they met.

First, she was going to start conversation with him and then go from there.

"So Ash, excited to go to Sinnoh?"

"You bet, Misty! I hear there are a lot of cool Pokémon over there." Ash then stood up and raised his fist up in determination. "Those Pokémon Gyms better watch out, because Ash Ketchum, future Pokémon Master, is coming their way!"

Misty couldn't help but laugh at Ash's little show. "Ok, Mr. Pokémon Master, sit down before you start dancing like a maniac and kick your food in my face."

Ash sat down and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Sorry Mist. Guess I got carried away."

Misty giggled and said, "It's ok, Ash. I'm used to you making a fool of yourself by now."

"Yeah true- Hey wait a minute!"

Misty doubled over and laughed. "Oh Ash, I'm only messing with you. Quit taking things so seriously."

"Oh you _are,_ are you? smirked Ash.

"Well on second thought, you are kind of pathetic."

"OK, THAT DOES IT!" Ash then jumped on top of her and started doing one of the things she feared him doing the most- he started tickling her. He aimed for her arm pits, for he knew those were her most ticklish spots. And then while she tried to catch her breath from all the laughing, he quickly took her shoes and socks off and continued tickling her bare feet.

"STT-TTOOOPP! HA HA HA! STTOO-OOP IT! HA HA! AAASSSHHH! HAHAHAHAHA!" she laughed hysterically.

After a short while, Ash stopped so Misty could breathe. The two continued eating, laughing, friendly teasing, and chatting about old times. Ash also talked about all the Pokémon he hoped he would catch in Sinnoh: a Buizel, a Turtwig, a Chimchar, a Gible, and maybe even a Gligar. **(Author's Notes: But I don't think he'll Ketchum all. HA! You see what I did there?... Ok, moving on)** Misty told him recent stories of events that took place at the gym back in Cerulean City. Everything was going great for the two best friends.

And it just went down hill from there...

After some Pokémon chat, Misty figured now was the time to tell him. But she planned on telling him slowly. This wasn't something she could come straight out and say to Ash. This was about her feelings and those were something she didn't take lightly. So, she took a deep breath, looked over to Ash (who at the moment was devouring down a chicken sandwich), smiled and said, "So Ash, what do you plan on doing with your life after you become a Pokémon Master?"

"Hmm," Ash pondered that a bit. He never actually thought that far into his future. "I really don't know, Mist. It's quite possible I'll still be traveling around regions catching and training Pokémon."

Misty was kind of expecting an answer like that from someone like Ash, but that doesn't mean that's what she wanted the answer to be. "Seriously?!"

Ash was confused by that little outburst. What was she thinking he was going to say? "What? What's wrong with that?"

"Are you seriously going to still be traveling around everywhere?! At what extent?! And what about settling down and experience the finer things in life?!"

"What finer things?!" Ash was now getting confused and somewhat annoyed at Misty right now.

"Arrgh! You know! Settling down, meet a nice girl, get married. Maybe raise a family! Those finer things!"

"Give me a break, Misty! I'm only eleven!"

"But you're not going to be eleven forever, Ash Ketchum! One of these days, you are going to have to focus on other things other than Pokémon!"

"And what's wrong with focusing on Pokémon?!" By now both of them were on the verge of exploding and were now standing and glaring each other down.

"Nothing except that's ALL you ever think about! And I'm sick of it! It's always about Pokémon to you! 24/7! You never think of anything else!"

"I do too!'

"Oh forgive me!" she replied sarcastically. "It's always about Pokémon AND food to you! And to be honest, those two things occupy your brain so much, there's no room for anything else up there in that thick skull of yours!"

"You take that back, you scrawny little girl!"

"SCRAWNY AM I?!" They were now officially in each other's faces now. "WELL, IF I'M SCRAWNY, THEN YOU'RE THE BIGGEST, DENSENESS IDIOT OF A POKEMON TRAINER- NO SCRATCH THAT!- OF A HUMAN BEING I'VE EVER MET!"

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK!"

"NEVER! AND YOU KNOW SOMETHING ELSE, ASH KETCHUM, YOU BIKE WRECKER?!"

Ash just about at blowing point. "Shut up," he growled under his breath.

"YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING RIGHT! IF IT WASN'T FOR ME, YOU WOULD STILL BE THAT STUPID TRAINER WHO SENT A BUG AFTER A FREAKEN BIRD!"

"Shut up," he growled just a little louder.

"BUT THEN AGAIN YOU PROBABLY ARE STILL THAT DUMB! YOU KNOW WHAT, I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHY I BOTHERED HELPING YOU OUT IN THE FIRST PLACE! YOU NEVER LISTEN TO ME AS IT IS! JUST WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM, ASH KETCHUM?!"

"I SAID SHUT UP!' And with that outburst, Ash pushed Misty really hard, causing her to smack her head against the tree. "I'M SICK OF YOU, MISTY! ALL YOU EVER DO IS LOSE THAT STUPID TEMPER OF YOURS AND THINK OF WAYS TO PUT ME DOWN! I CAN'T STAND YOU! IN FACT, THERE ARE TIMES I WISHED YOU WOULD JUST STAY OUT OF MY LIFE! HECK, I WISHED I NEVER EVEN MET YOU!"

When he finished, Ash's eyes grew wide and he covered his mouth with his hands when he realized what he had just said. He looked down at Misty and saw her holding her knees as she was cowering over the hurtful verbal abuse from the boy who she once thought was her best friend. Her eyes were shedding tears as those nasty words were ringing in her ears. At that moment, Ash realized he had just made the gravest mistake of his life- and he knew he couldn't take it back if he wanted to.

Finally, Misty stood up shaking, looked up at Ash, and continued crying as she said, "Y-You really mean t-th-that?"

Ash wanted to say something but he was too ashamed of himself to. He just put his head down so he couldn't see her hurt face.

"I'll t-take that as a y-yes." And with that she grabbed the blanket, knocking all the food on the ground, and the basket and turned to run. But before she started running, she took one last look at her ex-best friend, with her eyes red with tears. "Then you got your wish," she cried. "We're not fr-friends anymore. Goodbye, Ash Ketchum." And then she ran away. She kept running and running. She didn't care where to right now. All she wanted was to get away from him. Him. The boy who she had foolishly fell in love with who had just now broken her heart to the point of no repair. She knew right then and there that she was never going to be the same ever again.

Ash watched despairingly while she was ran away until she was no longer in view. He couldn't believe what he had just did. What was supposed to be a nice picnic between best friends became a blood bath of verbal abuse that just destroyed his most treasured friendship. Ash then sunk down to his knees as he started crying out of guilt. "WHAT HAVE I DONE?! WHAT HAVE I DONE?!" he screamed over and over.

"WHAT HAVE I DONE?!..."

(End of Flashback)

"I went to bed crying that night, wishing what just happened was just a bad dream, but it wasn't. It really happened. And I've regretted it ever since. I never saw her again after that. Not a day went by afterwards that I didn't want to call the Cerulean City Gym to tell Misty how sorry I am of what I have done. But not a single, excruciating word can I ever take back about what I said to her. I practically _killed _her with those Mew-forsaken words I used. It's a mistake I can't take back."

Brock and Tracey listened carefully to Ash's tale. They honestly didn't know what to say. But they understood Ash's misery and his guilt.

Ash sighed and continued. "So, now you guys probably wonder why I even bother to try and save her after all this, right?"

Brock simply padded Ash on the back and said, "I think we have a pretty good idea why. And if you're worried about the others finding out, don't worry. Your secret is safe with us."

Ash gave them both a small smile. "Thanks guys. I really needed to get that off my chest."

"We understand considering how long you have been holding this inside of you," said Tracey.

"Why don't you get some sleep, Ash," said Brock. "We have a long day of going on a rescue mission tomorrow."

Ash nodded and went off to bed. Brock and Tracey stayed behind and talked about what Ash had told them. After a while, the two eldest went into their tents and went to sleep. Unbeknownst to the three guys, they were not the only ones who heard the story. In her tent, Serena was pondering the story she just overheard and couldn't help but feel that the thing she feared the most was true...

Ash Ketchum was in love with Misty Waterflower.

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Sad, ain't it? But don't worry. Things will get exciting and adventurous in the next chapter. I realized I went over the word limit I set for myself for this chapter, but there was so much emotion I wanted to put in this chapter that I couldn't help myself. Anyway, I have another week of camp next week, so don't expect chapter 9 then. But I will get it done. I promise. And btw, if you want to see the cover art for this story, go to my Deviantart page, link is on my profile page, and you will find it. Don't forget to review. Well, I gotta split. See ya.


	9. A Deadly Battle

Well, here it is, folks! The Chapter 9 of this story! I have enjoyed writing this story and I hope you guys have enjoyed reading it. What am I saying? Of course you guys have. Now, I'm hoping to get this story done before the end of summer but no promises, ladies and gentlemen. But anyways, whether I get it done by then or not, I'm getting this story done. I promise.

This chapter does not have that much AAML in it (Not saying I switched shippings or anything, mind you) This chapter is more of a Pokémon battle chapter with a little suspense in it. I must say, Pokémon battles are hard to write if you want to get them right, and I hope I have at least gotten close enough to getting them right. If not, let me know some ways I can improve in that area of this story, especially for the final battles of the story. Anyways, special thanks to my friends Jacob and Zach for helping me with the tips they gave me. And again to Jacob for helping me with the battle scene and for proofreading this story for me.

And sorry folks, but for reasons unknown, I still don't own Pokémon. Bummer, right? Oh well.

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**Chapter 9: A Deadly Battle**

_At least a year had went by since Lavender Town. To make a long story short, Ash had placed in the Top 16 at the Indigo Plateau Conference, (It took all the patience and strength I had to try to get him out of his depression) Brock had left for a brief time to work at Professor Ivy's lab, Me and Ash crash landed in a blimp and found ourselves on the Orange Islands, met an artist named Tracey Sketchit, adopting a baby Lapras, and traveling around the islands so Ash can collect four badges to enter the Orange League__. During these travels, Ash and I seemed to have slowly grown closer to each other. Yes, we still argued and without Brock around, the pressure went to Tracey, who had joined our journey, to hold our leashes. It seems during our island travels that everyone we ran into thought me and Ash where a couple. As much as I wished that was true, I put on my angry face and denied everything. But as I did my part of denying, I couldn't help but notice Ash was as quick as saying "HER?! NO WAY!" as I was on saying "HIM?! YOU MUST BE CRAZY!" I always wondered if he was serious.. or if he was denying it too. I never figured he would like me, but there were times when I could have sworn he had gotten jealous. The first time was on Navel Island, home of the second Orange Island __Pokémon Gym AND the absolute cutest Gym Leader ever, Danny. No don't get me wrong. My feelings for Ash, despite being my deepest secret, were still blooming with hope that he could love me back. However, any girl who was to think this Gym Leader wasn't at all gorgeous was just plain insane. So, I decided to play a little game with Mr. Ketchum. The whole time we were there, I went completely fan girl all over Danny with flirting with him, spending more time by his side, even cheering for him while he battled Ash. I even gave Danny my blanket to keep him from getting cold. (We were on an icy mountain.) And you know what? My little game was a success! You should have seen Ash's face when I pretended I preferred Danny over a "little kid" like him. He was SOOO jealous! He was all like, "What about me?" It was hilarious! By the end of the day, Ash had beaten Danny, much to my "dismay" (giggle), and won his second Orange Island badge. We then left the island and I couldn't help but giggle when Ash had that surprise, jealous look on his face when I blew a kiss at Danny, just to tick Ash off. Bless the Green-Eyed Monster. Tee Hee!_

The next morning...

Ash, Brock, and Tracey (and secretly Serena) woke up like none of the conversation last night had happened. (Although Serena still feared the most more than ever about Ash's feelings towards this Misty girl.) They joined the rest of the group cleaning the camp site and then continued onward towards their destination.

Everything was running smoothly until out of the blue a Hyper Beam suddenly blasted at the ground a couple yards away from the group and blew them back off their feet. Ash was the first to recover. "Is everyone alright?" he asked with concern. Everyone else managed to get up in pain but with nothing broken. They all answered his question by nodding. Ash then looked towards where the source of the Hyper Beam came from. He walked closer to check what it was, slowly and cautiously making his way towards a nearby bush where the attack came from. Just as he came close enough to it, he saw another Hyper Beam, which was a lot closer to him now since he was standing right next to the source, beginning to power up. "GET DOWN!" he screamed to the others as he ducked down just in time NOT to be fried by the incoming attack. Everyone else followed and got down just in the nick of time. (Jessie's hair was singed though) They could all feel the heat from the Hyper Beam as it sored not even five inches above their heads.

After the attack was coming to a close, Ash stood up only to be caught off guard and knocked back by a big purple claw. The impact sent Ash flying into a tree 12 feet from where he was and knocked him unconscious. Everyone gasped as they witnessed their friend, or nemesis in the Team Rocket Trio's case, fall to the ground.

"ASH!" screamed Serena.

"PIKAPI!" (ASH!) screamed Pikachu.

Suddenly the group felt giant footsteps behind them. They turned around and came face to face with a large, bipedal, purple Pokémon and a large, bipedal, blue Pokémon, both with distinct reptilian features. It was a Nidoking and a Nidoqueen. After making their entrance, the Nidoking and Nidoqueen both gave a mighty roar to the opposing side. Brock and Co. got their Pokéballs ready for the battle to come. Pikachu, with electricity coming off his red cheeks, got himself ready for battle and to bring serious pain to those who dared to attack his master/best friend.

"Alright, you two! No one, but no one, hurts my friends and gets away with it!" sneered Brock at the two Pokémon.

"You got that right!" included Serena.

"Oh, does he now? I beg to differ," came a very famine yet menacing voice.

"Who said that?!" yelled May.

"Why, we did," came another voice.

"Show yourselves!" yelled Gary.

"Very well then," came a third.

"Uh oh. Gotta run," cried the Team Rocket Trio in unison, apparently recognizing the three voices. And with that, they ran off and hid behind some trees in a nearby forest. That left Brock and the others confused until three female Team Rocket elite officers make their way out of the bushes and in front of the Nidoking and Nidoqueen, with a Espeon, a quadruped, catlike Pokémon with slender legs and dainty paws, and an Ariados, a big, red spider-like Pokémon, by their sides. The front officer was Domino, a.k.a. The Black Tulip, a very high ranking official of Team Rocket who joined Team Rocket's leader Giovanni a while back during Ash's Johto journey in attempting to recapture the Legendary Pokémon Mewtwo by threatening to use it's cloned Pokémon friends in their experiments, which would've led them to their deaths. She and Giovanni were later defeated by Ash and the Pokémon clones and then had their memories of that event wiped by Mewtwo. In her hand was a black tulip, hence the nickname, which was actually electrically-charged and capable of shooting electric blasts and shocking humans and Pokémon. The two girls behind her were Annie and her sister Oakley, **(Author's notes: Again with the name puns! Seriously!) **two sisters/Team Rocket agents, technological experts, and masters of martial arts who once attempted to steal the Soul Dew and the Eon Pokémon Latias and Latios, the entities they needed to gain control of the Defense Mechanism of Alto Mare (DMA), a machine used to protect the city of Alto Mare form danger. They planned to use the machine for world domination but those plans were foiled by Ash and friends. (Misty and Brock at the time) The two of them walked to the sides of Domino, Annie on her right and Oakley on her left. All three of them had that evil smirk on their face as they locked eyes with the kids as they started their newly formed motto.

Domino: "Well, if it's a fight you kids want, then we'll surely give you one!"

Annie: "But don't be surprise that in the end we have already won!"

Oakley: "Because together, we are here to rock your world!"

Domino: "Domino, the Black Tulip of your destruction!"

Annie: "Annie, master of technology and darkness!"

Oakley: "And Oakley, the lion devouring all your hopes and dreams away!"

Domino: "We are the Elite Team Rocket Gals!"

Annie: "We are Giovanni's Dark Angels!"

Oakley:"And we are here to do his bidding!"

All: "And his bidding is to put an end to you!"

Espeon/Ariados: (That's right, losers!)

Nidoking/Nidoqueen: "RRRRROOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR!"

Needless to say, Jessie, James, and Meowth were not impressed with their motto. "Humph. We've done better," whispered Jessie.

"You could say that again," whispered James.

"No doubt about dat," whispered Meowth.

"Wobbuffet."

Brock, Tracey, Gary, and Max were just getting ready to throw their Pokéballs when the girls stopped them. "We girls got this," Dawn told them. " You guys tend to Ash." The guys, and Pikachu, all nodded and ran towards Ash, leaving the girls to deal with the Elite Team Rocket Gals.

"So, they send in the women to do the fighting while the men tend to the wounded," taunted Domino.

"Something is a little mixed up there, don't you think, sister?" taunted Annie.

"I couldn't agree more," taunted Oakley with a smirk. "But either way, I'll enjoy kicking their butts right back to their mommies."

"And speaking of mommies, which one of you has parents who are Gym Leaders in Petalburg City?"

This startled May as she took a step back. _Oh no, _she thought fearfully, _Please don't tell me Team Rocket attacked my parents!_

The three Team Rocket girls smirked wickedly as they could tell by the fearful expression on May's face that she was the daughter of Norman and Caroline of the Petalburg Gym. "Ah, so you would probably would love to know what we've done with your parents, don't you little girly?" Domino taunted May. May was now shaking in fear. Max, who had just started listening to the conversation at the first mention of Petalburg Gym, started to tremble in fear over his and May's parents.

"Oh don't worry, little girl," taunted Annie. "Your mommy and daddy are quite alive- for the time being. Show her, Oakley."

"With pleasure." Oakley then pulled out a hologram projector (don't ask me how Team Rocket has hologram projectors because I don't know) and turned it on to show a picture of the Petalburg Gym in ruins and then May and Max's parents in a hospital room unconscious. May gasped as tears ran down her face. Max had to be comforted by Tracey as tears threatened to run down his face. The next thing the guys knew, Max had dashed towards the forest crying. Brock and the guys gave chase after the youngest of the group, leaving Pikachu and Piplup to guard Ash's unconscious form.

"YOU MONSTERS!" screamed Dawn, feeling pain and remorse for her friends.

"And that's not all," smirked Domino. "All of the Hoenn, Sinnoh, and most of the Kanto and Johto Gyms have been destroyed and their Pokémon have been drained of their powers by Team Rocket agents. The Gyms of Unova and Kalos still have some left, but we will get to them soon."

"WHY ARE YOU TELLING US THIS?!" screamed Dawn.

"To let you know that no matter how close you get to HQ, you will never stop us."

_Oh Mew, _thought Dawn, _How did they know? Oh, if Jessie and James spilled the beans while we were sleeping last night, they are SO gonna get it._

"Enough talk." Everyone turned their attention to May, who was still crying but was now staring down the Team Rocket girls with rage and hatred in her eyes. "I'm not letting Team Rocket get away with hurting my parents. IF ITS A FIGHT THEY WANT THAN ITS A FIGHT THEY WILL GET! VENASAUR, BLAZIKEN, GO!"

Dawn and Serena nodded and followed her in unleashing their chosen Pokéballs. "TOGEKISS, TAKE THE STAGE!"

"GRENINJA, I CHOOSE YOU!"

At that instant, all the called Pokémon emerged from their Pokéballs, all of them ready for battle.

"Very well then," said Domino. "Let's get started. Nidoking, Use Body Slam on Blaziken! Nidoqueen use Hone Claws!" The Giant Lizard's nodded in acknowledgement. Nidoqueen's claws began to glow white while Nidoking charged headlong at Blaziken only for the bipedal bird to jump high into the air and far away from the raging Pokémon.

"Blaziken! High Jump on Nidoking!" cried May.

"Togekiss! Use Sunny Day!" cried Dawn. Togekiss caused the sky to light up to a high intensity of light. While Nidoking was momentarily distracted by the change, Blaziken came crashing down to great effect on top of Nidoking. It jumped back to avoid a retaliatory blow.

"Use Horn Drill, Nidoking! Nidoqueen, use Shadow Claw on Togekiss!" cried Domino. Nidoking again charged headlong at Blaziken, this time moving too fast to dodge and Blaziken fell from impact with a crash. Togekiss flew to the right and then left to avoid both of Nidoqueen's rending claws.

Blaziken! Crouch and use Sky Upper Cut!" cried May.

"Use Safe Guard, Togekiss!" cried Dawn. Both Pokémon nodded to their masters in acknowledgement. Then a glowing light covered Blaziken and Togekiss as the latter Pokémon used its power. Blaziken got to its knees and launched a powerful kick into the ground. Nidoking tried to jump out of the way but it was not the target; Nidoqueen was. It tried to bat Blaziken away but Safe Guard kept it safe from harm. The Sky Upper Cut landed a critical hit.

"Now, Blaziken! Fire Blast on Nidoqueen!" cried May. Blaziken side stepped in time to only feel the warm heat of the fire as the attack hit with extra ferocity due to Sunny Day. The attack causes Nidoqueen to fall and faint.

"Grrr! Return you light weight lizard! Finish them off with Earthquake, Nidoking!" cried a furious Domino. With an angry roar Nidoking stomped the ground until a giant Earthquake rocked Blaziken to the ground doing massive damage. Domino smirked. "Now use Blizzard on that flying scrimp!" A massive amount of damage was done to Togekiss from that attack as well as freezing it solid.

"No! Togekiss!" cried Dawn. "Quick, return!" A light of pure energy shot from the Pokéball that Dawn was holding right at Togekiss until the Pokémon turned to a huge source of energy and disappeared into the ball. "Thank you, Togekiss. Take a nice long rest. Now, go- AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Just as Dawn was about to release another one of her Pokémon, Domino unleashed her black tulip weapon on Dawn as it electrocuted her. The shock was so powerful, she fell down unconscious.

"PIPLUP!" (DAWN!) screamed Piplup. He had to be held back by Pikachu from going out there and getting himself hurt.

"DAWN!" screamed May and Serena as they watched their friend fall to the ground. They then turned to Domino and snarled at her.

"YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" screamed May. "IT'S CHEATING, YOU SCUM!"

"Uh-uh-uh," taunted Domino. " You fight the Elite Team Rocket Gals, you fight by our rules."

"You better just deal with it, girls," smirked Oakley.

"Your Pokémon go down, you go down," smirked Annie.

May growled. Then she turned to her Pokémon. "It's all up to you Blaziken! Avenge both my parents, Ash, Misty, and Dawn and use Flare Blitz!" A bright flash of light and heat surrounded Blaziken as it tackled into Nidoking, dealing high damage to both Pokémon.

"Hit back with Body Slam!' ordered Domino. Blaziken could not get back fast enough from Nidoking's attack.

"Use Flare Blitz again!" ordered May. Blaziken lit up once more for a final charge.

"Counter with Blizzard!" A chilling blast of ice and snow emerged from Nidoking and assaulted Blaziken.

"Hang in there just a little longer, Blaziken, and then use Blaze Kick!" The fire Pokémon nodded as the extra flames around it kept it momentarily safe from the super effective ice attack. At the last possible moment before Flare Blitz was about to give out Blaziken jumped high into the air and right at Nidoking with legs ablaze in pyrotechnical glory. The kick landed square into Nidoking's chest, knocking it on its back and making Domino furious.

"NO! NO! NO! RETURN YOU USELESS POKEMON!"

"Don't worry, Domino," said Oakley. "Just leave it to us sisters. We'll finish them off."

"You just keep that tulip ready," said Annie, causing Domino to smirk. "Let's go, Espeon!"

"You too, Ariados!" At that moment, both Pokémon who were standing by their respective trainers stood forward for battle.

"Ill help you out in this fight, May!" encouraged Serena as she, and her Pokémon Greninja, took her stand beside her with an angry, determined look on her face, angry at what this Domino girl did to one of her new friends and Ash, and determined to take these Rocket girls down for good.

"Alright!" May said, after returning Blaziken. "Venasaur, let's go!" At her word, her massive splotchy green frog with a large flower growing on its back took its spot on the battle field next to Greninja.

"Espeon, use Light Screen!" cried Annie coolly.

"Ariados, use Agility!" cried Oakley equally coolly. Espeon steadied its body and threw up a wall of glowing light while Ariados' body began to shake and shimmer from it upping its reaction time by moving superfast.

"Double Team around them, Greninja!" cried Serena. Greninja moved so quickly as to fool the eye into thinking there were many Greninja instead of the one. The many clones quickly surrounded the two enemy Pokémon.

"Venasaur, use Sweet Scent on Espeon and Ariados while Greninja has them trapped!" cried May. Venasaur released a huge puff of spores from its giant flower on its back and blew it right into the faces of the enemy Pokémon, causing them to become mildly less interested in the battle before them.

"Snap out of it, you lazy bums!" cried both sisters simultaneously, suddenly losing their cool.

"Use Confusion, Espeon!" shouted for Annie. Unfortunately, Espeon was too distracted by the smell of beautiful flowers to notice its trainers' urgency, causing her to growl under her breath.

"Ariados, use Double Team to match Greninja's movements!" shouted Oakley. Ariados sluggishly responded by matching the lightning fast moves of Greninja.

"Use Dark Pulse on all of the Ariados clones!" Serena ordered her Pokémon. Greninja momentarily disappeared to stand still and launch repeated blasts of black orbs at the clones of Ariados, every hit ending with a shimmering and fading of the clones to not be replaced.

"Venasaur, use Leach Seed on Espeon!" May ordered her Pokémon. Venasaur then shot dozens of seed pods at the stationary Espeon. Once they hit they exploded into a writhing mass of vines, sucking the life out of the cat-like Pokémon, snapping Espeon out of its fugue.

"Argh!" screamed Annie, who by now was furious. "Espeon, use Flash and then Hidden Power on Greninja!"

Experiencing the same rage as her sister, Oakley also ordered her Pokémon's next move. "Ariados, use Infestation on Venasaur, then use Poison Jab!" A flurry of movement erupted as all four Pokémon converged to a single point in space and time. Greninja jumped into the way of the infestation and blocked Venasaur from the attack and retaliated with Surf, crushing the real and fake Ariados look-alike amid a pool of water followed by Greninja creating shurikens of pure water and launching them at Ariados. Venasaur lined up on Espeon with Solar Beam but the bright sunburst called Flash blinded it and caused it to miss completely. Espeon's Hidden Power pummeled Venasaur with rocks laden with psychic energy. Ariados recovered long enough to use Poison Jab and make Venasaur faint before fainting itself from the rapid fury of the Water Shurikens.

"What?!" screamed Oakley. "How can this be happening to me?! Return Ariados!" Then in a growl-like whisper, she snarled at the Pokéball holding her fallen Pokémon saying, " I'll deal with you later."

May, on the other hand, returned her fallen Pokémon and smiled at its Pokéball saying, "Thank you, Venasaur. Take a good long rest." Unfortunately, just like Dawn, May found herself getting electrocuted by Domino's electrical tulip, causing her to scream and fall unconscious next to Dawn's body.

"MAY! NOOO!" screamed Serena. Now the only one left on her side standing, Serena glared at the Rocket Gals and growled, 'YOU WILL PAY FOR HURTING MY FRIENDS!"

Annie, the only one left with any Pokémon on her side, simply smiled wickedly at her opponent. "Let's finish this quickly, Espeon," she said. "Use Confusion on that pathetic Greninja." Rocks nearby Greninja began to glow and then launched themselves at the Ninja Pokémon.

"Dodge and then use Dark Pulse followed by Water Shuriken!" cried Serena, more than ever ready to kick the butts of these Rocket Gals once and for all. Black orbs emanated from Greninja's hands to hit the cat Pokémon. Then when the flurry of rocks began to die down, Greninja used Water Shuriken to great effect against Espeon. Espeon collapsed from under the pressure and onslaught of powerful attacks.

Growling in defeat, Annie returned her Pokémon. "This is far from over, Twerps," scowled Domino. "Team Rocket's grand plan has already went under way and there is nothing you can do to stop us!"

"We shall,.. Ugh, see about that," came a voice behind Serena and the unconscious bodies of May and Dawn. Serena turned around and gasped. There was Ash, wounded, weak, and wobbling side to side, struggling to stand. And yet, he seemed as determined as ever to get rid of these Rocket Gals.

"Ash!" Serena cried with worry. "You shouldn't be up! You need to rest!"

"No Serena," pleaded the weak Ash Ketchum, struggling over to Domino. "I-I have to know."

"Know?"

"I-I have to know... who- ugh!" Ash winced in pain, still from the Hyper Beam earlier. "Who... attacked the Cer-Cerulean Gym and- UGH!... and Misty."

"Ha ha ha ha ha!" laughed Domino. "You dense, little fool. You really think I'm gonna take pity on you and blurt out the plans of the Rocket Operative who planned this whole master plan? It's because of you he decided to personally visit your young lady friend in the first place. After all, you foiled his last plans." After saying this, Domino kicked Ash strait in the jaw causing blood to pour out and his body to fly backwards onto the ground.

"AAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHH!" screamed Serena.

At that moment, Pikachu couldn't take it anymore. Using Quick Attack, he ran towards the three criminals. Domino started aiming her tulip at the yellow Pokémon as he ran towards them. He managed to dodge each electrical current her weapon sent out. Then when he got close enough, Pikachu used a mighty Volt Tackle on the three ladies. The impact caused all three Rocket Gals to be pushed back several yards away from where they were last standing. With an "oof," the three villains fell flat on their backs. As they tried to get up, they noticed Pikachu coming towards them again. He wasn't finished with them yet! And with a mighty "PikaaaaaaCCCCHHHHHHUUUUUUUUU!" he launched a mighty Thunderbolt that sent the three blasting off.

Panting, Pikachu rested as he watched the three disappear into the distance, but after the quick breather, he ran over to his fallen Master, his two fallen companions and Serena, who was begging Ash, May, and Dawn to wake up. Serena tried with all might to awaken her two new friends and her crush. By this time, Brock, Tracey, Gary, Max, Jessie, James, Meowth, Piplup, and Wobbuffet had returned from the forest with a bunch of weird fruits. They gasped at the sight before them. Brock just about dropped the fruit he was carrying. By now, tears were running down her cheeks as she continued trying to wake Ash. She could fell him leaving her fast as she screamed "Ash, please get up! PLEASE! YOU CAN'T DIE ON ME! I LOVE YOU, ASH! ASH!"

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CLIFFHANGER! Didn't expect that now did you? Of course you didn't. Now you are probably wondering: Who is the mastermind behind this evil plot involving harm coming to Gym Leaders and their Pokémon? Why did the guys bring fruit from the forest they came from? Will Ash and the girls ever wake up? What will become of Misty? You will find out soon, folks. In the mean time, don't forget to review, favorite, and follow. Especially don't forget to review. I'd love some input to make this story better. And I promise not to leave you hanging for long. Well, I gotta split. Peace out.


	10. The Legend of the Angel Fruit

Sorry guys for the late updates lately. I haven't been updating once every week like I used to. But you guys have to realize that I don't always have time to update. I have stuff to do in my real world like work, hang out with my friends, eat, nap, etc. Besides, I'm trying to take my time with these chapters so I can make this story worth the reading for you guys. And honestly, I think I have been doing a pretty fair job so far and I tend to keep it that way. Who knows, I might make it even better! ;)

Last I checked, I haven't earned any letters from Nintendo (yet) saying that I officially own Pokémon or anything, so I guess I don't.

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**Chapter 10: The Legend of the Angel Fruit**

_Our next stop was Trovita Island. There, my love and commitment to Ash were greatly tested. How well I remember our time there. While on our way there on a boat, Pikachu spotted a little girl and her Seel caught in a current, crying for help. After sending out Staru, I jumped in and swam over to rescue her. Ash joined in by sending out Lapras and helped me bring the girl over to Trovita Island, where she just so happened to live. When we reach the island, we are greeted by Mahri's, the little girl, big brother Rudy, the Gym Leader of Trovita Island. He thanked me for rescuing Mahri and then handed me a bouquet of flowers. He then gave me a bunch of compliments and then asked me to train the Pokémon trainers at his Gym. Aggravated, Ash interrupted us and challenged Rudy to a Gym Battle. Rudy agreed but only if Ash completed an attack test. I don't remember much of the test on account I spent the time with Rudy, who was being the sweetest guy to me that any guy could be. Ash managed to completed the test, but not without losing his cool over Rudy being all over me. But seriously, what would he care? All he has eyes for are Pokémon. Later that night, Rudy invited me into his Gym where his Pokemon were dancing. Rudy and I joined them and then Rudy confessed. I could tell by how he was treating me that he really liked me, but this confirmed it. He proposed that I stayed at the Gym with him and Mahri forever. I regret to say that I was seriously considering it. I mean think about, this guy treated me like a princess while Ash half the time doesn't even know I even existed, much less treated me like a girl. It was so much more tempting to stay with a guy who showed his love and affection for me than to stay with a kid who only had eyes for Pokémon. And yet, I knew I was still deeply in love with Ash. In the end, Rudy told me I could think about it and give him an answer the next day after his match with Ash. The next day, the battle went back and forth with it ending with both Ash and Rudy having one Pokémon left, Rudy with his Starmie and Ash with his Squirtle. I knew that after this round, I would have to give Rudy my answer, but he didn't make it easier for me when he dedicated this last match to the girl who stole his heart- me. Ash seemed furious by this and quickly got the battle rolling. Sadly for Ash, he wasn't doing that well and when Squirtle was almosted knocked out, Ash was horrified. After thinking over the chance of a lifetime from Rudy, I finally made my choice: I started yelling at Ash to win since he could release Squirtle's hidden power. Mahri was shocked, and I could tell that Rudy lost his confidence after hearing my words. It hurt me to hurt him, but I knew Ash was the only one for me. Ash then actually listened to me for once and he and Squirtle in the end had won the battle. Ash then received his Spike Shell Badge and then we went on our way to our next destination. But before we left, Rudy took Ash aside for a moment. I heard him tell Ash that he was one lucky guy. I knew what he meant but Ash sure didn't. Mew, I wish he somehow figured it out. Question is: will he ever realize what Rudy meant? A girl can only hope and pray._

Darkness...

Pitch black, cold darkness. That was all Ash could see as he called her name. "MISTY! MISTY, WHERE ARE YOU?! MISTY!"

"...Ash..."

Ash knew that voice anywhere. It was faint, but he knew it was her. "Misty?"

"...How...How could you...How could you do this to me...?"

He tried to follow the sound of her voice, but all he could see was the darkness surrounding him. "Misty! Please, where are you?!"

"...I...I thought...I thought that...I was...your friend..."

"MISTY! PLEASE! I'M SORRY! PLEASE, COME BACK TO ME!" He continued running towards her voice, even though deep down he felt it pointless to do so.

"...Why...Why did you...betray me...?...Why...did you break...my heart...?"

"NO, MISTY! NO!" By now his breathing was hoarse and tears were flowing down his cheeks as he tried to find her, but to no prevail.

"...Everything...was...a lie...You...You never loved me... You never...even...liked me..."

"NO MISTY! THAT'S... THAT'S NOT TRUE! I DO LOVE YOU! I-I'M SORRY FOR WHAT I DID!"

"...It's...It's too late...You had your chance...a long time ago..."

"MISTY, PLEASE! FORGIVE ME!" Suddenly, Ash tripped over his feet and landed on the ground, sobbing over his lost friend.

"...I guess this...this is goodbye, Ash...forever..."

And then silence.

Ash laid there with his face on the ground, sobbing. "...Misty... please...forgive me..."

...

...

...

...

"...AAHH!" Ash woke up with a jumpstart and found himself on the forest trail again, with Brock, Serena, and Pikachu by his sides.

"ASH! YOU'RE ALIVE!" cried Serena as she jumped and hugged the still startled Ash while crying tears of joy.

"PIKAPI!" (ASH!)

"Welcome back, big guy," smiled Brock, relieved that his best friend was alive.

As Serena cried with tears running down his back, Ash looked around and saw Tracey and Gary talking to Jessie, James, and Meowth. They appeared to have been discussing something involving Domino, Annie and Oakley and how they might be involved in Team Rocket's (minus Jessie and James of course) latest plot. He then noticed May and Dawn awake and alive but still resting where they collapsed eariler, both of them still a little weak from the Black Tulip's attack on them. Ash also noticed May looking tired yet relieved over something. Max was in her arms as they hugged each other with tears running freely from their cheeks, smiles still on their faces. This had Ash confused but he figured he would ask later. Right now, he had other questions on his mind.

He let go of Serena and turned his attention to Brock. "Brock, wha-what happened?"

"You were attacked pretty hard by that Domino girl," Brock explained. "You were on the verge of death."

"What?" As you could imagine, this news had surprised Ash greatly. "Then-Then how am I still alive?"

"That's actually a pretty long story," Brock explained, while rubbing the back of his neck with his right hand.

"We have time, man."

Brock sighed and nodded. "Well, it all started after hearing the news about May and Max's parents..."

"Wait a sec. What happened to their parents?!" interrupted Ash.

"That's right." Brock realized. "You were still unconscious when the rest of us found out. Team Rocket attacked them and their Gym."

Ash's eyes widened as he gasped in shock and pity for his friends. "WHAT?! Are they alright?!"

"As a matter of fact, they are. Tracey was able to use his Poké-Nav to contact Petalburg General Hospital to see if Norman and Caroline were being treated there. Sure enough they were, and all the injuries from Team Rocket are minor and they will be alright and out of the hospital soon. But you couldn't have been able imagined how relieved May and Max were when we received the good news."

Ash nodded and then looked back at May and Max, still in the position they were in when he woke up. They looked over at Ash and smiled at him, tears of joy still flowing. He sighed in relief, smiled at his two friends, and then turned back towards Brock. "So after finding out what happened to their parents, what happened?"

"Well, as you can imagine, Max was devastated when he thought he lost his parents and ran off. Me and the rest of the guys ran after him into the forest while May, Dawn, and Serena fought the Team Rocket goons that attacked you."

Ash turned his attention back to Serena, who was siting very closely to him (which went unnoticed by Ash). "You girls fought them? They didn't hurt you three, did they?" he asked her. Not that he thought the girls he traveled with were weak or anything. He knew each of the girls he had ever traveled with (Misty especially) were far from weaklings and had no trouble showing it. No, the reason behind his questioning was because with all that has happened this week had him worried over his friends. Plus, he could have sworn he saw May and Dawn out cold on the ground earlier when he tried to confront Domino.

Serena, of course, knew his reasons for asking. "We're find now. They did attacked May and Dawn but they will be ok."

Ash smiled and then turned his attention back to Brock, totally missing Serena's blush after he smiled at her. "So what happened next, Brock?"

"Yeah, Brock," Serena added, after recovering from her blush. "What happened to you guys while we were battling Team Rocket?"

"Well, like as I said" continued Brock, "we had followed Max into the forest, trying to stop him from running too far. Little did we know what we would find in there..."

(Flashback)

Max ran as fast as he could into the forest. He honestly didn't know where he was running, but he was so scared he didn't seemed to care at the moment. He was too filled with grief that he didn't hear the cries of the other guys following him.

"HEY MAX!" yelled Brock. "WAIT UP!" Tracey and Gary followed quickly behind their squinty-eyed friend.

Max kept running until he tripped over a tree root, falling on his face.

"MAX!" yelled the other guys, speeding up their pursuit. As soon as they were right by him, Brock got down on his hands and knees to check on him.

"You alright, buddy?" he asked.

Max managed to pick himself up and sat down with his back to the three. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Well, you don't have any injuries, so, physically, you will be alright. Now, other than that, are you alright?"

Max, knowing instantly what he was talking about, looked down and closed his eyes and then hugged Brock, balling his eyes out. "Are (sniff) Are my parents gonna be o-ok?"

Brock sighed and smiled sadly. "I'm sure they will, Max. I'm sure they will."

After a few minutes of silence and attempts to comfort Max, the guys decided they needed to head back and tend to Ash. Just as the group turned to walk back to where Ash laid unconscious, they took a moment to notice how... unusual the fruits on the trees seemed. At first glance, they looked just like normal fruits. But looking again, the guys noticed they had a very unusual, bright glow to them. The appearance of the purple/orange fruit looked as round as an apple, soft as a peach with a delicious look so alluring, it felt like you would be satisfied with it so much you would never have to eat ever again. The guys were so mesmerized by the tempting fruit that they didn't notice Jessie, James, and Meowth walking right behind them.

"Hey guys. 'sup?" said James, completely startling the guys, making them leap in the air and scream.

"WHA! YOU GUYS!" screamed Brock. Team Rocket all sweatdropped.

"Yeah it's us. Deal with it," Jessie said flatly. Then she took her gaze over to the fruit and the gasped. "Oh my! Is-Is that what I think it is?"

"What are you talking about, Jess?" asked James. Jessie point to the sight of the fruit before her. His eyes widen as he gazed upon them.

"It-It can'ts be," exclaimed Meowth, who also took noticed of the magical-looking fruit in front of them.

"But-But it is," Jessie said in awe.

"Wobba..."

Brock and the guys were now confused over Team Rocket's response's over the fruit. True, the guys were amazed by them as well, but it was as if TR had seen or as least heard of them before. "Wait, wait, wait. What's going on?" asked Gary. "What do you guys know about these?"

"I-I think they're Angel Fruit," explained Jessie, still in awe. "But-But I thought they were supposed to be just a legend."

"And yet," James added, "they fit the description in that legend perfectly."

"Ok, I'm officially lost right now," complained Brock "Angel what?"

"Angel Fruit."

"Ok, what in Mew's name is so special about them?" asked Gary.

"It's a long story," said James. "There's actually an old legend about them. My grandfather used to tell me stories about this legend and others when I was just a little guy. (sigh) Good times. And then Jessebelle showed up and then everything went down hill from there. EEE! JUST THE THOUGHT OF HER MAKES MY SKIN CRAWL!" he screamed, causing everyone else to sweatdropped.

"Ooookkkaayy," said Brock, not amused. "So what exactly was the legend about? I mean, these fruit must be something special and rare to have a legend about it.

After James composed himself, he told the story. "Ok. Legend has it when the Legendary Pokémon, Arceus, created the earth, the Pokemon saw that the people in it, after a few million years, were becoming sick with a disease most cruel. They called this the Darkrai's Nightmare of Death (or something of that caliber) pandemic. Dozens were dying each and every day. The Legendary Pokemon saw this and wept. And so, to end all of the sickness and death (as much as the Pokemon could anyway) it createdwhat is known as the Angel Fruit. This special fruit was unique, and did not look like any other earhly fruits. The people began to work quickly, and began to feed the fruit to the sick population. After they had the fruit, everyone began to feel better, and Everyone was well and happy again. And the Legendary Pokemon too was happy and smiled, seeing that this was good. The fruit still lies somewhere within the woods, but only grows on a tree whose name was given to the Legendary Pokémon."

"Whoa," the guys said in awe.

"Yeah," added Jessie, "your grandpa told weird bedtime stories." Everyone fell down, anime style.

"So," Tracey began after everyone got back up, "you believe these are the fruit of the legend? Uh, Angel Fruit, right?

"Right," answered James. "And these look exactly like my grandfather described in the story."

"You think the legend is true?" asked Brock.

"Dunno."

"Well," interrupted Gary, "only one way to find out. Who here is injured?" Everyone sweatdropped. No one in the group at the moment had an injury of any kind.

"AAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"What was dat?!" asked a startled Meowth.

"Only one way to find out!" Brock said sternly. It was time to take command. "Everyone, grab as many Angel Fruits as you can! Time to test if that legend is real or not!"

Everyone nodded and then grabbed as many Mirapples as they could and then ran back to where Ash and the girls were. But when they got there they were shocked to see May and Dawn unconscious on the ground and an unconscious, barely living Ash with Serena by his side screaming, "Ash, please get up! PLEASE! YOU CAN'T DIE ON ME! I LOVE YOU, ASH! ASH!" Brock nearly dropped the fruit in his arms after seeing the sight and hearing Serena's confession, but now was not the time to panic. Now was the time to take action!

"QUICKLY, GUYS! WE GOTTA ACT FAST! I'M A DOCTOR IN TRAINING SO I KNOW WE DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME! I'LL TEND TO ASH! SERENA, YOU HELP! THE REST OF YOU GUYS TAKE CARE OF MAY, DAWN, AND THERE POKEMON! LET'S GET TO IT!" At Brock's order, everyone got to work. Knowing Ash wasn't able eat at the moment, Brock managed to take one of the Angel Fruits and squeeze the juice into Ash's mouth. He watched with worry while Serena watched with fear as they waited for the results. Serena honestly didn't know how the fruit was gonna help, but like Brock said, he was a doctor in training (even though he was a Pokémon doctor in training), so if anyone knew how to treat Ash it would be him. Gary did the same thing with May, while Tracey took care of Dawn. Max and Team Rocket took care of the Pokémon.

After a few minutes, Dawn woke up, cured from the fruit's taste alone. May woke up almost as quickly from the same thing. Max hugged his sister with relief and, with the shocked of the attack on their parent still fresh in his mind, the need for support from his sis, which she gladly return. Ash for some reason took longer to wake up, but everyone marveled over the fact that his scars and wounds were slowly but surely healing and fading away as if he was the Wolverine or something.

While they waited for waiting for Ash's full recovery, Tracey used his Poké-Nav to contact Petalburg General Hospital to check on May and Max's parents. The siblings waited with baited breath on the status of their parents while Dawn did her best to comfort them. Gary started discussing with Team Rocket about the attackers and how they could be involved with everything. Sure enough, Tracey announced that May and Max's parents were gonna be alright, causing the duo to break down in tears of joy, thanking God they were going to be alright.

Then suddenly, Serena, Pikachu, and Brock noticed Ash; he was tossing and turning back and forth, as if he was in a bad dream. They quickly ran to his sides and tried to wake him up. And with a jumpstart and an "AAHH!" he awoke.

(End of Flashback)

"And that's when you came in, big guy," finished Brock.

"Whoa, that's crazy," stated Ash in awe.

"Isn't it, though?"

"Yeah. James' grandpa did have a weird choice in bedtime stories." Brock, Pikachu, and Serena fell down, anime style.

_He may be maturing, but Ash can still be dense at times, _Brock thought, sighing.

Ash started laughing. "I'm just messing with you, Brock. I understood the story perfectly. I just played dumb to see how you would react. It always was a priceless response."

"Oh that's a relief. I thought I would have to- wait, what do you mean you _played _dumb?" Brock asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I, um, well..." Realizing he just got caught, Ash quickly turned to Serena, in hopes of changing the subject. "So Serena, you doing alright?"

Serena smiled sweetly and said, "I am now."

"Hey, great!"

_He's doing this on purpose. _Brock thought to himself. _He meant something when he said he "played dumb" and I'm guessing its connected to Misty. Might as well question him now. _"Alright, Ash Ketchum!" stated Brock out loud. "I want an answer and I want and answer now! What do you mean you _played _dumb with me?!"

"Well, you see..." Ash was now beyond nervous. Now, everyone had their attention turned to Ash as they awaited his answer to Brock.

"I'm waiting, Ash!"

Ash looked around. Everyone was eyeing him, waiting for him to speak. Finally, Ash sighed, stood up to confess with his head turned slightly downward while poking his index fingers together repeatedly. "Alright, fine. I guess you all deserve the truth." And with a deep breath and rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment, he said:

"Guys, my density was all an act."

* * *

WHAT?! Crazy, huh? Yeah, I wanted to add something like that. I hope its not too much. Cause this story just keeps getting crazier and crazier. Oh well, it should keep you readers interested for awhile. Now I apologies if this sounds like its going a different direction than the plot. Just bear with me, ok guys? Well, college is starting soon, so I don't know how that's going to affect my updating. But don't worry, I said it before and I will say it again: I will get this story finished. In the meantime, don't forget to review. Well, I gotta split. Adios.


	11. Density and Rejection

Ladies and gentlemen. I have an announcement. I am officially a college student! WHOOO! I'm really excited about this year. My best friends are going to be there and I'm starting each day with a class that involves my favorite thing to do other than write fan stories like this one: drawing. If you haven't seen any of my drawings yet, you can go and check some of them out on my Deviantart page. (The link is on my profile page) Now like I said before, my college and work schedules will change my schedule of writing this story, but hey, real life comes first, right? But anyways, I have gotten this chapter done so sit back, read, review, and enjoy.

I own nothing but the computer I'm typing this story on. (Ok, I don't own the computer. It just sounded so original, so I just used it.)

* * *

**Chapter 11: Density and Rejection**

_After Trovita Island and a few more islands, Ash was ready for the Orange League. I never admitted it to me or anyone, but I was seriously proud of him. Unfortunately for him (and Tracey for that matter), his preparation did not go so well. __Walking up to Tracey, who was examining "the most beautiful Vileplume he had seen", to ask for assistance, Ash tripped, knocking both himself and Tracey into Vileplume's head opening. The two tried to struggle free, but Vileplume used a point-blank Stun Spore on them, paralyzing them. Pikachu managed to escape the Stun Spore unaffected and ran towards the cabin we were staying at and informed me of the guy's predicament. After we dragged their paralyzed bodies inside the cabin, I struggled to find a cure for them. (Is it wrong to say that I secretly wanted to cure Ash quicker than Tracey?) Problem was, we had no first aid aside from band aids, and the nearest Pokémon Center was on another island. However, Tracey, in his weakened state, managed to get me to look in Ash's Pokédex for advice - and found that Salveyo weed had the ability to cure Vileplume's Stun Spore, and they were found on lake bottoms with Poliwag wherever Vileplume are found. Leaving Pikachu to take care of Ash and Tracey, Togepi and I set out to find the Salveyo weed. After having searched several lakes, I finally met a cute little Poliwag. We were just warming up to each other, but then, just then when you think everything was all sunshine and rainbows, the always a sore in my puffins, the happy-mood-kiliing, loser Team Rocket JUST WALTZ RIGHT IN AND SPOILED THE MOMENT! Well, James and Meowth anyway; Jessie apparently got attacked by Stun Spore as well. After a Pokémon battle over who gets Poliwag, I naturally won, I had managed to ask for Poliwag's help, and I walked away with Poliwag in tow and sure enough, Poliwag managed to get me the Salveyo as an added bonus, Poliwag asked to join my team, which I took no time to accept.(How could anyone turn down a cute water Pokémon?) When we returned to the cabin, we encountered a series of items on the ground including make-up, food, and Ash and Tracey's health as a priority (especially Ash's; he's the kid I have the incredibly secret crush on, remember?) I easily ignored the mess, figuring it was just Team Rocket trying to distract me while they steal the Salveyo weed. After another Rocket failure, I left some of the Salveyo weed for Team Rocket after they were knocked off a cliff by Poliwag. I hoped that now they would leave me only so I can get back to curing my friends. To make a long story short, Ash, Tracey, and Jessie recover, I got a new Pokémon, and Ash continued preparing for the Orange League. And wouldn't you know it? He won! I was so happy, I was almost tempted to run on stage and drown him in kisses and hugs as a reward. The operative word being __ALMOST__!_

"Wait, what?"

"You guys heard me right," admitted Ash. "I'm not as dense as I led you guys to believe on our journeys together."

Needless to say, everyone, except Pikachu who knew Ash the best, was completely trying to process this. Ash Ketchum was not dense? Since when? As far as they all knew, Ash Ketchum was probably the most knowledge challenged person there was. So what on earth did he mean when he said he wasn't as dense as they thought?

Brock, being the oldest of the group (if you didn't count Jessie or James), approached and awkwardly said to him "Ok, you are going to have to expound on that, cause I am particularly having a hard time processing this. What do you mean when you say you're not as dense as we were all led to believe?"

Ash sighed. "I guess its best I start from the beginning, huh?"

"Sounds good."

"Alright then." And with a deep breath, he started his explanation. "It all started after you, me, and... Misty separated after Johto. I was on my own for the first time since the beginning of my journey. I realized that since you guys were no longer with me, I had to rely on my own strength to better myself. I couldn't just expect you or Misty or whoever else I was traveling with to just give me all the answers to everything. Separating taught me that. I had to learn to better myself on my own. So I did something no one ever expected me to do: I started reading. And not books on Pokémon either. I started reading Greek Mythology, the _Bible_, classical literature like Shakespeare or _The Odyssey, _and even _The Art of War._ And it never stopped. As I continued reading I felt I was starting to get smarter and had a better understanding of things around me, even if Pokémon wasn't involved. I wanted to share with you guys my new found knowledge, but I was still going through this transformation from dumb Ash Ketchum to Smarter Ash Ketchum. (sigh) But any hope of wanting to share the new me with you guys were dashed after... an incident involving Misty... occurred."

Everyone, minus Brock, Tracey, Serena, and of course Pikachu, were taken back by that, but didn't press the issue as Ash continued. "Well, to make a long story short, the incident cost me my friendship with her, and I was so hurt by the whole ordeal. It was so horrible that I didn't want anyone, not even my own mother, to know what happened. So to hide the pain and guilt I have had since then, I pretended to still be the stupid, dense Pokémon obsessed trainer I was when I started my journey. I figured with this guise, no one would suspect my pain I was feeling. Don't get me wrong, guys. I still like Pokémon and all, but to be honest, it wasn't all that was on my mind. And believe it or not, I did notice the things you guys wanted me to notice, but if I felt if I showed just a little bit of my knowledgeable self, questions about how I got this smart would rise and then I would have to explain my dense cover up."

"Wait," interrupted Dawn, "What stuff that were obvious did you actually notice."

"For one, I recognized you three anytime you guys were in disguise, Team Rocket. Sorry, I just knew since you guys never would have any luck catching Pikachu that I just went with it till it was time to blast you guys off."

"You mean to tell me that all that hard work was for nothing?!" Jessie screamed angrily.

"Afraid so, 'Jessilina'," Ash smirked.

"Ooo, he's got you there, Jessie," James laughed. Furious, Jessie whacked James' head with her fan causing everyone else to sweatdrop.

"Wobbuffet."

"Well, anyway Ash," said May, "you were saying?"

"Well secondly, I did happen to notice when a girl had a crush on me." Serena was definitely taken back by this and this did not go unnoticed by Ash. "You and Brock remember Angie?" Dawn and Brock nodded in response. "Well, like I said, I was well aware of her feelings for me. However, I knew there was no way I could return her feelings to her. I just wanted to be friends with her like I am with you girls. But I couldn't bare to think of a way of letting her down without breaking her heart. So instead, I used my dense cover up and pretended I was oblivious to her crush on me. Same with Anabel, Macey, Bianca, Lyra, and whoever else I knew had some sort of crush on me. I just couldn't feel the same towards any of them. Besides, I've..." he paused, releasing that he was just about to reveal the secret he has kept longer than his brain. Nevertheless, he figured he might as well. "I've already had a crush on someone else for a long while now."

Surprisingly to Ash, no one seemed surprised, shocked, or taken back by this. He did notice that Serena did look nervous about it and he definitely knew exactly why. "So guys, I.. I just want to apologize for my deceiving you guys. I just... couldn't.." He was then cut off by Brock who had placed his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"It's alright, man. We all understand."

"Yeah," everyone else agreed.

"No matter what, big guy, you will always be stuck with us as your friends."

Ash smiled at his brother figure. "Thanks man." They then shared a good ol' brother hug and then turned to the rest of the group.

"Now that we got all that out of the way," teased Gary, "What do you say we get ready to get back on the road?"

"Yeah," agreed Max. "And maybe we can decide what to do with the remaining Angel Fruit."

Everyone nodded and started getting everything together. Everyone that is, except Serena. She was seriously taken back by Ash's little confession earlier and it got her worried and scared. If Ash pretended to be dense around the other girls who had crushes on him, then it's highly possible the same went for her. After all, it had been three days since she confessed her feelings to Ash and he still hadn't responded back. But as time had went by these past few days, she felt she was growing farther from him and that he really did like this Misty girl more than he liked her. And Ash's little speech earlier only furthered her fear. _Enough is enough, _she thought, _I'm going to find out right here and now where do I stand in Ash Ketchum's life. _So she took a deep breath, she walked over to Ash and asked to talk to him in private. Ash hesitated at first because he knew exactly what she wanted to talk about. Nevertheless, he agreed and the two walked over to the open field where Serena and the other girls had fought Team Rocket. It pained her that this could very well end their friendship, but she really needed to know where she stood in Ash's world.

"So Serena," Ash said after an awkward silence of a few minutes, "you wanted to talk?"

Serena sighed sadly. "Yes, Ash. I wanted to talk about... us."

"Ok," was all he could say. He knew right away what was coming and it pained him to know that his answer would break her heart. But he couldn't lie to her anymore. He couldn't pretend he was something he wasn't anymore. He had to come out and be totally honest with her.

"Ash," Serena started. _Here it comes, _Ash thought sadly. "I have to know. Am-Am I one of those girls who had a crush on you," tears started forming in her eyes, " who you... played dumb to avoid breaking her heart?"

Ash looked down in shame and nodded. He really didn't want to face her right now.

"I see," she said sullenly. "So-So, just so we are clear, you don't feel the same way I feel about you, am I right?"

Again, Ash only nodded.

"So, if I were to ask if you actually were in love with Misty instead of me, what would you say?"

"...I'd say... yes, you're right," he simply said.

"I see."

Ash finally looked up at her and sighed. "Serena, look," he said, "it's not like you're not important to me. You're still my friend. And I'm glad we met, especially after all these years. But, Misty... she has meant the world to me for the longest time. I... I love her. But.. I still hope that... you and I could... still be... friends?"

Serena didn't answer. She was too hurt inside. The boy she had a crush on since she was five just turned her down. She didn't know what to say. All she did was cry. Finally she spoke. "Ash, I gotta go." And with that, she turned around and walked away from him.

"Serena, where are you going?"

"You don't need me, Ash. It was great seeing you again and traveling with you and all, but... I realize now that's all I'll ever be. Just another traveling partner."

"Serena, I-"

"No. Don't Ash. You don't need to explain yourself or say anything. She belongs to you. And you belong to her. I get it now and I don't want to get in the way. I'm going home now. Goodbye,... Ash." And with that she continued walking but not before turning around one more time to say one last thing to her crush. She smiled sadly at him with tears still flowing freely from her eyes. "Good luck on the rest of your quest, Ash Ketchum. I wish you and Misty the very best." And then, she left and vanished from his sight and into the woods, on her way back home to Kalos broken hearted.

Ash felt bad about letting her down and bowed his head in guilt, mentally kicking himself. _Way to go, Ketchum, _he thought sadly, _you just ruined another friendship. You have one heck of a way with the ladies. _He sighed and then turned around to join the remaining crew. Right away, everyone notice Serena was missing from the group.

"Where'd Serena go?" asked Dawn.

Ash stayed silent for a second before sullenly saying "She's heading home."

That was all that needed to be said. Everyone else, except Team Rocket, understood what happened and kept their mouths shut. Failing to figure it out, the trio wanted to ask, but were immediately shot by a Luigi's Death Stare montage by Brock, leaving them both speechless and absolutely petrified.

So after a short awkward silence, Ash grabbed his backpack, let Pikachu take his spot on his shoulder, and finally spoke, "Come on, gang. We gotta get moving." The group nodded and followed Team Rocket on the continuing path to their hideout. On the way, the group, minus Ash (who had a lot on his mind) and Team Rocket (who just didn't give a Ratitate's tail) decided to discuss some things.

"So Brock, know that we know this Angel Fruit legend is legit, what should we do with it?" Tracey asked.

"I've been thinking about that, " Brock answered, "and I think we can use the rest for good use for the Pokémon of each Pokémon Gym that was attacked. As I recall from what Team Rocket informed us," referring to the Rockets in front of them who still weren't listening, "the organization somehow is stealing the life force and power of each Gym's Pokémon, causing them to go weak and helpless."

"I see what you're getting at," Dawn interrupted. "You're saying after we defeat Team Rocket and whoever is responsible for all this, we can send the Angel Fruit you guys used on me, May, Ash, and our Pokémon to all the Gyms to revive the Pokémon there."

"Right Dawn."

"Sounds like a lot of work if you ask me," groaned Gary.

"No one asked you," Dawn taunted. Gary stuck his tongue out in response.

"Actually, I might have a solution that could speed things up."

What do you mean, Brock?" asked Max.

"Yeah Brock, what's going on in that mind of yours?" asked May.

Brock just snickered and said "You'll just have to wait and see. Don't worry though." Suddenly Brock poses heroically. "The world can rest knowing that Brock will always prevail over all!" In response, the rest of the gang all sweatdropped.

"Oh yeah. We all feel extremely safer now," Dawn groaned sarcastically, causing Brock to fall down anime style.

Meanwhile, Ash was still feeling guilty of turning Serena down. He wished she was still with the group as his friend, but since she left the way she did and didn't exactly say they were still friends, he felt like such a heal for blowing yet another friendship (though granted this time was not as bad as the last time). But, now he had to focus on the mission at hand. He had to get to Team Rocket HQ before it was too late. And after the encounter with Domino, Annie, and Oakley, he knew that the stakes were way higher now and now Ash and co. had to act fast. _Wait a minute, _he suddenly thought, _if those three found us than that means.. oh no! TEAM ROCKET KNOWS WE ARE ON THE WAY THERE!_ Suddenly, a huge dose of determined adrenaline flowed through his veins and he sped up his running so that he was now way ahead of the rest of the gang. "COME ON GUYS! WE GOTTA KEEP MOVING!" he yelled. "TIME'S RUNNING OUT!"

"ASH, WAIT UP," the group yelled, but it was no use. Ash was already a half a mile away from them. Thus, the group sped up their chase after their determined friend/leader.

He was right, though.

Time _was_ running out.

Meanwhile, somewhere far far away...

"Sir, I regret to inform you that the agents have failed in killing the Ketchum kid and his friends."

"Hmhmhmhm. No need to worry. The boss and I have no interest in killing the kid. Yet."

"You're not? Sir, I don't understand."

"It's simple. I sent those girls out to buy us some time. Me and the boss understood that those kids are too stubborn to go down right away."

"Boss knew about that plan of yours, right?"

"Of course he did, you idiot! Even though I'm older than he is, I know better than to question orders from Giovanni's own SON!"

"Sorry! Sorry! Just checkin'!"

"Hmm, whatever. Just get back to your post soldier."

"Yes, Marauder sir."

While this conversation was taken place, a mysterious dark figure made his way towards his lab where his very own created Pokémon was being finished up. On the way, he made a note to visit first the cell of the Gym Leader he personally attacked brutally and the only Gym Leader that was taken prisoner. He smirked down at her wounded and frail body as she lay on the ground curled up in a ball, barely breathing in her cell. "I just thought it should interest you that my genetic Pokémon is almost complete," the mysterious figure exclaimed in a cold, dark, deep voice. "And unlike the one my own father had built, this one will follow all my commands and will not be weak with compassion like that Mewtwo was. This one will be a merciless powerhouse and not even your pathetic boyfriend will be able to stand against it. Just keep that in mind, Misty." After saying that, he kicked the cell bars, scaring her and causing her to shake and whimper. He turned and continued towards the lab. Misty's blood-shot eyes were filled with pain and tears as she heard his footsteps leave. A single thought entered her mind as _he _left.

_Ash..._

As _he _entered the lab, he smiled wickedly at the site in front of him; his Pokémon was near completion. The scientists were just finishing adding the last elements from the powers and life forces stolen from all the Gym Pokémon. Tubes were hooked up all over the Pokémon that you could barely see what he looked like. And then sure enough, the last of the juice was added and the tubes were taken away. _He _marveled at his own created Pokémon behind the screen as he saw the finished work. "Ah yes. You, my glorious creation, will be just fine in helping take over the world to complete my revenge on Ash Ketchum. Soon the world will know to fear me as the leader of, not just Team Rocket, but of the world.

"Now rise, Azreal, Archangel of Death!"

* * *

I warned you guys I would be making my own Pokémon. Trust me, you won't be disappointed. And I did kinda hint who the villain here is and it's Giovanni's son! I know he doesn't have one, but remember folks that this is just a fan fiction. Now as for Serena, she is gone. I might bring her back later, but I don't know. We will just have to wait and see. Well, I gotta get going. See ya guys.


	12. The Beast of the Storm

Sorry folks that it took me a little while to get this done. You know with college and all. But in the end you won't be disappointed with this chapter. It has danger, suspense, action, and a little insight on the secret antagonist of this story. However, I will not hint anything concerning this character's personality because that would give away who it was. But don't you worry, because you will find out soon enough. Just not in this chapter. Or the next. But its soon. I promise. Anyways, on to chapter 12!

I own absolutely nothing concerning the Pokémon franchise except this story. Well, this story really isn't PART of the actual franchise per say, but I bet you all wish it was. I know I do.

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**Chapter 12: The Beast of the Storm**

_Sometime before Ash competed in the Orange League, we went through one of our greatest adventures: the three of us got caught in a freakin' storm, and washed ashore on Shamouti Island, set in the center of the Orange Islands. Learning of an island festival celebrating a mythical legend about the islands, which was about to begin, Ash was conveniently selected as the festival's chosen one by a girl named Melody, the festival maiden. She got under my skin pretty quickly as she not only accused me as Ash's girlfriend (ridiculous, right?... Ah who am I kidding, BUT I WASN'T GOING TO LET ON ABOUT THAT!) but she also kissed HIM! I mean, sure it was on the cheek and all, but still, the jealousy bug inside of me was going extremely ballistic and it did so every time that girl got near him or touched him for the majority of our time there! (ahem) So anyways at the festival's banquet, Melody explained to Ash that as the chosen one he had retrieve three glass orbs from each of the legendary birds' islands and take them to Shamouti's shrine, guarded by a talking Slowking, where Melody will end his task by playing the festival's song, which was actually the song of Lugia. Ash, bring the determined kid he was and is today, immediately set out, led by a troubled Pikachu. Taken to Fire Island by sea captain Maren, Ash and Pikachu found Moltres' treasure, but were interrupted by non other than who else but Team Rocket, annoying stalkers of the year. Me, Tracey and Melody arrived via Melody's multi-purpose boat, followed by Zapdos who was attempting to conquer that island. Suddenly, some weirdo Pokémon collector named Lawrence III appeared above in his hovercraft and absorbed Zapdos' electrical energy, capturing it as well as with me, Ash, Tracey, and Melody accidentally. Lawrence freed us (big mistake on his part) and attempted to capture Articuno, accidentally awakening Lugia in the process. Meanwhile, we managed to free Moltres and Zapdos who escape and brought down Lawrence's hovercraft. Afterwards, Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres engaged in all out war, unleashing all of their powers in a bid to destroy each other. We all manage to escape, gaining Zapdos' treasure in the process, and were transported back to Shamouti Island by a mysterious water spout revealed to be Lugia. Lugia at first tried to stop the battle himself, but was outmatched by the birds powers combined against him. Telepathically he then explained the birds and the deadly global weather the powerful birds were causing through their war can be stopped by the legend's Chosen One, which was Ash in reality. Ash of course agreed to go to Articuno's island to get the last treasure, but his progress was halted by the legendary birds. Team Rocket arrived on a speedboat made from a dingy and the helicopter's discarded propeller, wishing to save the world so they could continue their "villainy". The group raced up to Articuno's shrine and retrieved the treasure, but before they could escape, the legendary birds appeared once again. Zapdos destroyed the speedboat and Ash watched on as Articuno was knocked out by Moltres and Zapdos. Lugia rescued Ash and Pikachu, but Team Rocket heroically fell into the sea upon release, seeing that they were slowing Lugia down. Lawrence tried to catch Lugia, but Lugia used its Aeroblast attack to destroy his airship and took out Moltres and Zapdos before collapsing into the sea unconscious. I watched in horror as Ash also fell unconscious into the deadly waters with Pikachu trying to wake him up. Melody tried to run to save him, saying that he couldn't do this alone. I however stop her and go to save him myself. As I left her, I told her "Ash is never truly alone, because he has... me." So I dived into ocean to save the boy I loved with all my heart and managed to bring his unconscious body and Pikachu to shore. Tracey and I managed to wake him up with CPR (and yes, if needed I would've used mouth-to-mouth... IF CPR didn't work, mind you) and Ash right away ventured to Shamouti's shrine and placed the last treasure with the others. Melody played Lugia's song, ending the storms and bringing peace to the legendary birds. Lugia rose from the sea, bringing the true Beast of the Sea with him, an underwater current that had altered the climate. Later, after the birds returned to their islands, Lugia departed after thanking Ash. Afterwards, Ash's mom Delia and Professors Oak and Ivy arrived, Delia, having saw her son's actions, scolded Ash for his recklessness, but after I told her he saved the world she just told him to be more careful which he complied with. Afterwards, we continued with our journey, with me feeling closer to Ash than ever before as I pondered over the words I spoke to Melody earlier:_

_"Ash is never truly alone, because he has... me."_

_And you know what? It was true._

_(cries) WAS true..._

Later that afternoon...

Ash and the gang managed to exit the forest and found themselves in front of Kanto Ocean. This however confused Ash and Co. and all eyes fell on Team Rocket.

"You guys had better not have just led us into a dead end!" Ash said angrily at the three.

"Oh relax, Twerpo," exclaimed Meowth. "We's know's exactly where we's are goin'."

"You better," Ash grumbled under his breath.

Brock saw that Ash was getting seriously frustrated and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, calming his best friend down. "No need to worry, big guy. We'll get to Misty in no time."

"HEY WAIT A MINUTE! 'NO NEED TO WORRY' IS MY CATCHPHRASE!" whined Dawn.

Ash couldn't help but laugh a little at his friend's silly outburst and brighten up just a bit. "You're right, Brock ol' buddy. We'll get there. I know we will," he said determinedly with his fist in the air.

"There's the Ash Ketchum I know," Brock said, bringing Ash into a brotherly side hug.

"So then, TR HQ is across the ocean then?" asked Gary.

"Yep, just across the ocean is a little island with a HUGE active volcano," answered James. "That's where HQ is located."

"Of course it is," commented Dawn sarcastically. "All evil lairs have to be in obvious dangerous areas. Clichés, I tell ya."

"Um, I don't mean to be a downer," May said interrupting, "but IF this is the right way..."

"Of course it's the right way, Twerpette!" interrupted Jessie angrily. "With us getting blasted off daily, we should even know where the secret lairs of Teams Aqua, Magma, Galactic, Plasma, and Flare are!"

"Psst, Jessie," whispered James though still audible, "We don't actually know where any of those places are."

"I know but they don't need to know that! Now shut up!" The two Rockets quit their banter when they realized that the whole group was staring at them with huge sweatdrops on their heads, causing the Rockets to laugh and blush out of embarrassment.

"Um, yeah, anyways," continued May, still with her sweatdrop, "If the way to Team Rocket HQ is across this ocean, just how are we supposed to get across here without a boat or something?"

"We's could always find a boat somewhere's for us to steal," offered Meowth, thinking it was a good option.

Unfortunately for him, not everyone thought so. "You know, you guys may be ok with being thieves and all," said Max, "but the rest of us would like to keep our records clean, thank you very much."

"Humph. Killjoy," pouted the Scratch Pokémon.

"I think I might have an idea," Tracey said. "Whoever has a water-type Pokémon, release them now." Without question, everyone with a water-type threw out their Pokéballs and in a matter of seconds May's Wartortle, Gary's Blastoise, Tracey's Marill, Misty's Gyarados, and Ash's Squirtle were released onto the shore (Piplup was already present since he never went into a Pokéball). The sight of the mighty Gyarados frighten James off his feet and on his butt.

"So what's the plan, Trace?" Ash asked.

"It's really quite simple, actually. We'll grab on to our Pokémon as they swim across the sea over to the volcanic island."

"Hmm. Sounds like a pretty good idea," Brock said matter-of-factly. "I have no problem with it."

"I do!" whimpered James, still trembling under Gyarados. As a joke, the beast stared and smiled at 'em devilishly, making him even more petrified.

"Well, whether either of us has a problem with it or not," commented Ash, "its probably our only best bet for getting over there. That's LEGAL that is."

"I still think my idea was better," mumbled Meowth.

Ignoring Meowth, Brock took charge of choosing who was going with which Pokémon. Then everyone hid in different areas to change into their swimsuits and then went over to their respective water Pokémon and went out to sea. Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and Team Rocket rode on top of Gyarados' head (they had to force James up there who was squirming with fear and screaming like a girl as they brought him up there with them. Also note that Ash had to sneak his way up there since this was Misty's Pokémon and all of her Pokémon were very well aware of _that_ argument), May held onto her Wartortle, Dawn, Piplup, and Gary rode on his Blastoise's back, Tracey held onto his Marill, and Max held onto Ash's Squirtle.

"Alright guys," Ash said determinedly as they headed out, "I have a feeling that we may not have much time! So, let's put our backs into it and get over there to TR HQ and take them down once and for all! Let's go, Go GO!"

"Right!" everyone else, except the Rockets, shouted out. And so the gang set off towards their destination, coming even closer to the Rocket base. Ash, Brock, and the Rockets led them on Gyarados as the others trailed behind them. As he watched the ocean in front of him, he had only one thing on his mind: _Hang on, Mist. We're almost there. I'm coming for you. Question is: Will you accept me back?_

Unbeknownst to the group, _he_ watched from _his_ lair in the shadows as a surveillance camera cleverly hidden somewhere on the beach caught sight of them heading towards their location. This is what he wanted: for Ash Ketchum and his crew to make their way right where he wanted him, just as if he was playing chess. And checkmate, was all in _his_ favor.

"Well, well, well," the Marauder laughed as he watched the footage behind his boss's chair, "They're almost here. Oh, and look," he was now pointing to Jessie, James, and Meowth, "We have a few traitors in the mix."

"Not much of a loss to the organization, to be honest," _he_ stated coldly. "My father always said they were useless. I myself thought so as well the few times I encountered those three weaklings. Their deaths for their betrayal will affect nothing to Team Rocket."

"So, your orders, my friend?"

_He _stayed silent for a few seconds before finally speaking. "A good host always sends his guests a welcoming gift. I believe we should give them something, entertaining, no?"

The Marauder smirked with a clever grunt in his throat, "What did you have in mind?"

_He_ stood up from his chair and looked up at the Marauder. "I think it's about time we take Azrael out for a little, playtime. Meet me outside on the roof of the volcano with the Pokémon in five minutes." _He _then turned and left the room but not before saying one last thing. "DO NOT, keep me waiting," _he _warned.

"On your orders, sir."

"Good." _He _said, pushing the door-activation key. "We wouldn't want what happened to the Rocket Gals after they failed me to happen to you, now do we?"

Marauder couldn't help but gulp at the mention of the three late Rocket girls. After their failed attempt to take down Ash and co., Domino, Annie, and Oakley were punished by an incredibly deadly attack from Azrael. And this not only brought fear to the Rocket grunts, but to even Team Rocket's most powerful agents, including Marauder. "N-No, of course not, sir."

"That's what I thought." And with that,_ he _disappeared into the shadows, closing the door behind him shut.

Marauder fell on the floor sweating as he tried to collect himself. _Man, _he thought, _his father was never this brutal. I gotta be more careful around him._

Five minutes later, Marauder and a bunch of grunts met up with _him _on top of the volcano. _He_, however, still hid in the smoke of the volcano to hide his face (and his identity from the readers). By his side was a monstrous Pokémon whose figure was also completely hidden behind the smoke. But the outline of its body was still visible, yet just barely. At the first sight of _him_ and Azrael, Marauder made his way over to where they stood with a pair of future-looking binoculars in his hand. He handed _him _the binoculars and _he _brought them up to _his _eyes to look for their important "guests." As _he _looked at the ocean below, _he _noticed that Ash and the gang were almost half way to the island on their Pokémon. _He _then lowered the binoculars, turned his head towards Azrael and Marauder and nodded. "Now Azrael, you know what to do," _he _said coldly. The man-made Pokémon nodded. Just then, the grunts watched in fear as they saw that behind the smoke, Azrael's evil, beady eyes started glowing deadly white as it stared out at the sky above the ocean. It then started moving his hands, which were now covered in a red aura, moving in circles. They all turned their attention at the sky as the most fearsome storm clouds, darker than the darkest night, started forming in the sky. Marauder started chuckling wickedly as he watched while _he _stayed with a stern serious expression on _his _face and one thing on _his _mind:

_Let's see how you make it out of this one, Ketchum._

Meanwhile, Ash and the group had just about made the halfway point when suddenly they noticed the storm clouds forming, as big as mountains, above them. "Unusual weather we're having, ain't it?" Jessie commented.

"Wobbuffet!"

Ash looked closer to the clouds. They almost seemed... unnatural. Not to mention extremely deadly looking. Ash looked down at the water underneath them as the waves were starting to go uneasy. _Oh no, _he thought. "EVERYONE, BRACE YOURSELVES!" he screamed. They all nodded and did what he told them because at that moment, everyone was starting to think the worst was about to come.

And sure enough, it did.

In the skies hidden within the cloud's depths lurked power like an Ekans ready to pounce on its prey. White lightning struck like Arceus' wrath tearing through the air like a hot knife through butter leaving the waters growing restless with unchecked power. Thunder lightened the bronzy colored sky as the clouds watched down on the group with omniscient eyes feeling no emotion. White water pierced the air sending droplets to crash upon the ocean like meteorites causing havoc. Waters were becoming angry, furious, and hungry for the now panicking gang. The waves relentlessly licked the Pokémon as if tasting what was yet to come. Waves felt like a battering rams against the Pokémon as everyone was holding on for dear life, screaming in the process as they were thrashed around violently. The waves were now so high, even those on the mighty Gyarados' head had lost sight of the horizon as the bitter winds howled.

The group had to hold on tight as they now were riding a humongous wave. "HANG ON, EVERYBODY!" Ash screamed.

"WE'RE TRYING AS HARD AS WE CAN, ASH!" Gary screamed back. "GIVE US SOME SLACK, FOR CRYING..." Gary paused when he saw what was passed the giant wave they were presently on. "INCOMING!" Everyone looked at what he was panicking about and gasped in fear. A mighty and gigantic whirlpool made its self none to the group just past a few more big, angry waves. The group soon found themselves being spun round and round harshly by the sea current as they neared even closer to being sucked into the whirlpool.

The Rockets watched from the roof of the volcano as Ash and co. were ever closer now to a watery grave. However, _he _wasn't quite finished with them yet, not while _his_ chess game was still at play. _He _turned back towards Azrael and nodded again. Azreal nodded back and closed its eyes but still kept his hands in its motion. By the look of it, it looked from the Marauder's point of view that Azrael was sending out a telepathic note to something out there under the sea. And sure enough, somewhere underneath Ash and crew and the furious sea, a huge sea creature received Azrael's telepathic message, awoken from its thousand-year slumber, and made it's way up above.

The Pokémon were doing every thing they could to swim away from the mouth of the whirlpool, but to no prevail as it slowly but surely pulling them in. "THIS IS THE END!" screamed James as he held on tightly to one of Gyarados' horns along with the rest of the group up there. "GOODBYE, CRUEL WORLD! GOODBYE, MY FRIENDS! GOODBYE, YOU EVIL AUTHOR!"

"COME ON, GUYS! WE GOTTA HOLD FOR JUST A LITTLE BIT LONGER!" Ash yelled encouragingly to the Pokémon. With that being said, all the Pokémon gained some more strength from Ash and pushed harder from the current.

"OH NO, GUYS, I'M STARTING TO SLIP!" screamed Max as he was losing his grip on Squirtle's back.

"MAX! HANG ON, I'M COMING!" screamed May as she did her best to steer Wartortle over to where he little brother was trying to stay afloat. Thankfully, she was able to grab his hand just in time as he slipped off of Squirtle and almost drowned. Squirtle himself, however, was still struggling to stay afloat, but even without someone holding onto his shell, he still couldn't hold on much longer. Thankfully, Ash, with his left arm still on one of the horns on Gyarados' head, was able to aim his Pokéball just right at Squirtle and return him inside it just in the nick of time.

But then things took a turn for the worse...

As Ash turned his gaze back to the center of the whirlpool, he noticed the center of it was starting to glow. Ash gasped as the light got brighter and brighter. "BRACE FOR IMPACT!" he screamed to the others. Just then, a huge Hyper Beam came shouting out of the whirlpool's mouth, causing the whirlpool to turn into massive waves that sent everyone, both human and Pokémon, flying and screaming in different directions into the water. Miraculously despite the angry waters, all the humans were saved by the Pokémon as they gathered them up from the waters and saved them all from drowning. Everyone was then placed on Gyarados' back as they all started coughing out water. "Is everyone 'cough cough' all right?" coughed Brock.

"Uh-Huh," they answered out of pure exhaustion, as they then returned the other Pokémon other than Gyarados, Piplup, and Pikachu.

"...Uh, twerps..." screeched Team Rocket, their faces completely pale as the gaze and pointed at the horrifying sight behind them. Everyone else was confused to say the least, that is until they looked behind them and gasped in horror at what they saw. Out of where the whirlpool was once located came a monstrous Shiny Gyarados that was about ten times as big as Misty's Gyarados. It turned its attention towards the trembling group and roared furiously at them.

"We're doomed," whimpered Dawn.

As soon as Dawn said that, Azrael sent another telepathic message to the mighty beast. In response, the monster started powering up another massive Hyper Beam but this time at the group themselves. Everyone gasped as they realized that a Hyper Beam at the magnitude and distance would instantly kill them all. The group braced themselves with tears and fear in their eyes, as they knew there was no escape. Ash watched in horror as his entire life flashed before his eyes. He then closed his eyes shut in fear as he waited for the attack. Just then he felt the Shiny Gyarados finally unleashing the Hyper Beam. As the heat of it came closer, Ash thought sorrowfully, _Forgive me, Misty. I've failed you again... I'm sorry..._

_..._

_..._

_..._

_...?_

_...Wait a minute. I should've felt that Hyper Beam by now. Am I…..Alive?_

Ash hesitantly opened his right eye and looked up and what he saw caused him to open both eyes and widen them. There, right in front of him, was Misty's Gyarados deflecting the Shiny Gyarados' Hyper Beam with its own powerful Hyper Beam, causing the monster's attack to hit 20 feet around the group at the water. _No way, _Ash thought in awe. The two Gyarados' were battling it out as the Hyper Beams were now pushing at each other back and forth. However, the Shiny Gyarados' attack was starting to overpower the smaller one. Suddenly, one of Ash's Pokéballs suddenly released the Pokémon within it. Ash turned around and saw Charizard himself flying over beside Misty's Gyarados' head and unleashed his own Hyper Beam attack to join his fellow Pokémon's Hyper Beam, giving it a little more power against the monster. Ash couldn't help but smile proudly at the sight of the two powerhouses fighting to protect him and his friends. By now the rest of the group had joined Ash in watching in awe at the heroic Pokémon. Suddenly a few more Pokéballs were unleashing the Pokémon within them. Ash's Snorlax managed to stay afloat in the furious waters despite its weight (don't ask me how) and unleashed his own Hyper Beam to join the other two while Blastoise blasted two powerful jets of water out from the cannons in its shell. Squirtle joined in by retreating into its shell and rapidly spun while it fired powerful jets of water from its mouth through all the shell's openings, flying like a frisbee toward the antagonizing attack. Ash's Glalie then fired his own orange beam of power from its mouth to join in. One by one, the Pokémon were unleashing their powerful attacks to help aid Gyarados in taking down its bigger counterpart till finally the attacks finally pushed the gigantic Hyper Beam back at the monsters sending its head to fly backwards. It turned its head back at the group but it was obvious that it was feeling the pain from the group attacks. It was now Pikachu's turn as the little electric type powered up his Volt Tackle move. Ash looked down and smiled at his powerful starter Pokemon and gave him a thumps up. "Go for it, Pikachu!"

Pikachu nodded determinedly and then started running up Gyarados' neck towards Shiny Gyarados, his yellow body now surrounded by golden electricity. And with a mighty jump and an even mightier "PIKACHUUUU!", he tackled the beast square in the chest sending it flying backwards and with a great splash fainted into the deep sea. The impact of the attack also seemed to effect Azrael as it groaned in pain and lost both its connection with the Shiny Gyarados but also lost its connection of the storm, causing it to stop completely.

Thankfully for the group, they had ironically made it closer to the shore of the island, so in a matter of minutes, the group finally made it. Upon reaching the shore, everyone jumped off of Gyarados, whom Tracey returned to its Pokéball, and fell to the ground, breathing heavily after going through that. James afterwards ended up kissing the ground which turned out to be a big mistake. "Ahh! BAD IDEA, BAD IDEA!" Everyone sweatdropped as James tried to brush the sand out of his mouth.

After everyone had gotten their breath back, Ash stood up and turned towards the volcano, his fists clutching with determination. He turned back around towards everyone else who were just now joining him. Ash then nodded and started walking towards the volcano with the others following close behind, unaware of what was in store for him, but was at this moment Ash was ready for anything.

_Hang on, Mist, we are almost there. I'm coming for you._

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And this chapter is finished. Hope you guys liked it. And yes we have about three or four chapters left of this story. I will try as soon as I can to get started on chapter thirteen but we'll see. I do hope to get this story done before the end of the year however so wish me luck. Well I gotta go. See ya. Oh yeah! Don't forget to review!


	13. Rocket Island

Hey ladies and gents! It's me again! I'm back with the thirteenth chapter of this epic Pokeshipping tale! Hope you guys enjoy this update because it took a lot of hard work to find the time and get this done. Would've gotten this done sooner though if writer's block didn't come and slap me in the face. And man, was it painful. Plus, I had a headache earlier that could rival Psyduck's. But now, both are gone and this chapter is done, so enjoy and review.

Note: Due to reading a fan fic that had close to the same idea I had with one of the characters in this story (I'm not saying which character or which fan fic) I will be changing something to that character so I'm not accused of stealing. Don't worry. The change is minor and I'll let you know what the change is when we get to it. By the way, its NOT in this chapter. So don't bother looking for it here.

I don't own Pokémon... Well, what more do you want me to say?

WOBBUFFET!

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**Chapter 13: Rocket Island**

_Well, after all the excitement of the Orange Islands, Ash and I went on to the next region of our journey together: Johto. Tracey stayed behind back in Pallet Town to work as an assistant to his hero Professor Oak. But that didn't just leave me and Ash, no. Good ol' Brock Slate himself had returned to travel with us once again after some unknown incident occurred involving him and Professor Ivy. And thus, the original trio was back together again on the road to Johto. A lot had changed between Ash and I by this time and throughout Johto. We grew... closer to each other. We still had our arguments and all (We wouldn't be Ash and Misty if we didn't, now would we? One time during Johto, we once had an all-out Pokémon fight over who would keep this one Totodile, which Ash won by the way. Good times, though. Good times) but they grew to a minimum and were more of us just having a good-natured bickering and teasing than it used to be. I was starting to become just a little more open towards Ash than I was back in Kanto and we even managed to spend some good times together by ourselves just chatting and teasing, without the arguing. Yes. Believe it or not, we had moments where we just talked without it turning into a fight. In fact, him and I spent several nights staying up late after Brock went to sleep just to have a nice talk with each other for a little bit. By now, I was officially and fully convinced that I was deeply in love with that goofy trainer from Pallet. Not to say I didn't think so during the Orange Islands, but during that time I was still on that debate in my mind, but in Johto, I was curtained of my true feelings for Ash Ketchum was love. True love, as a matter of fact. That bike he destroyed meant nothing to me anymore. All that mattered was that I was traveling along side the boy I loved. And I was happy. More happy than I had ever been in my entire life before I met him. Now if only I had the courage to tell him I felt. I knew I loved him with all my heart and that no one could ever take his place, but my fear of his rejection always made me lose my cool every time I tried confessing that to him. Truth was, what really kept me from telling him that I loved him was two things actually. First of all, his denseness. Even when I was trying to figure out my feelings for him in Kanto and the Orange Islands, I had dropped several hints of my feelings towards Ash's way. And yet his stupidity blinded him from catching any of them. (and I thought he wanted to Ketchum all. See what I did there?... Moving on) For example, back on the islands, two Nidoran that were in love with each other kissed and then evolved into both a Nidorina and a Nidorino. Tracey made some comment about it was the kiss that made them change and Ash asked if it was true. "Guess we'll find out for ourselves," I tell him while blushing. But did he get my drift? He absolutely did not! Then one time during Johto, Brock _**FINALLY**_ encountered a girl who liked him and actually wanted to marry him as soon as possible. (but it turned out she instantly liked who ever would save her life no matter who it was. #James) Ash said he couldn't imagine Brock married and I said something along the lines of him and I would be married someday too. That was a accidental hint and it did startle him a bit, but he never questioned whether I meant whether he would be married to someone one day and I would be married to someone one day or we would be married to each other one day. (I hope for the latter.) Honestly, his stupidity will not be missed when he finally matures. IF he ever matures. Ok, the second problem was Pokémon. Now don't get me wrong. I absolutely love Pokémon, especially Water-types. And I love all of Ash's Pokémon just as much as my own, especially cute, little Pikachu who looked up to me as his second master, which flattered me to pieces. As a matter of fact, Ash's love for Pokémon is what made me fall for him in the first place. So what's wrong with Ash and Pokémon? Well nothing except that is all that his head and heart were ever set on: Pokémon training and battling. Seriously, his heart only belonged to Pokémon. There was no way, sadly, that he could ever save room for me in that huge heart of his. I should've just been content with just being his friend- no wait, scratch that- his best friend, but I wanted so, so much more. I wanted him to hold me. To kiss me. To tell me how much he loves me. To one day marry me when we were old enough and to become the father of my children. (Sigh) Well, thus were the dreams of a hopeless romantic tomboy, hopelessly in deep love with a boy who was too dense and too involved in his training and journeys to even notice that I am even a girl. But no matter what, I would never give up on him. Never... Ever..._

As they continued their way deeper into the island...

Ash and Co. did their best to walk through the island's jungle very stealth-like so not to be caught by any Team Rocket grunts patrolling the island, who Marauder had in fact informed of the group's presences on the island and to stay on high alert in case they were to spot any trespassers. So to keep themselves from getting easily caught due to their number, the group decided to split into three groups. The first group consisted of Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and James. The second group had Gary, Tracey, Max, and Meowth within it. And last but not least, the third group was May, Dawn, Piplup, and Jessie. The three groups went then their separate ways, following their respective Rocket member of the group around the island as they each made their own way towards the volcano, where the TR HQ was located.

"We're almost there," Ash whispered to Brock, "I can feel it."

"Don't get too cocky, Ash," Brock warned. "We still have to get pass all the guards."

"I'm not getting cocky. I'm just stating the obvious." Ash then turned his attention towards James. "Anyways, James, how long do you think it will take us to get to the volcano?"

"Well, depending on if we don't get caught and captured, we just have to walk a couple miles to get there. Hopefully."

"Yeah, adding the 'hopefully' at the end really helps, man," Ash responded sarcastically.

"Hey, it is what it is, Twerp."

Ash rolled his eyes but continued following the Rocket member through the jungle. Within two miles, they managed to pass by about ten guards along the way without getting caught even once. And sure enough, the four of them (counting Pikachu) made to a little old, abandoned bunker cleverly hidden right by the volcano. The group decided to sit tight and wait there for the two other groups. The second group had a little more difficulty on there route to the volcano. Their area of the jungle had a trail of quicksand that the group barely were able to avoid. On the plus side, the quicksand kept the Rocket guards to a minimum, which made it a little less of a challenge for the group to cross the quicksand without getting caught. But in the end, they managed to find themselves at the volcano. The third group had it a little more harder. They were almost on the verge of being caught when Jessie stepped on a broken tree branch, but they miraculously managed to avoid it. Then they had to cross a really old wooden bridge. It took awhile, but the girls were strong so they able to make it across. And in a matter of minutes, all three groups regrouped inside the bunker.

"Alright, that wasn't too hard," whispered Dawn cheerfully.

"Yeah, we made it in record time without getting spotted once," commented Tracey.

"Naturally, if you are being lead such amazing and awesome people such as us three," Jessie said smugly.

"You got that right," James and Meowth added simultaneously.

"Wobbuffet!"

The kids fell down, anime style, at the trio's pointless gloating but quickly shook it off. "Alright," Ash started, "Now, HQ is just up this volcanic mountain, right?"

"Yep, HQ is just in a cave on... that cliff right there," answered James as he pointed to a small cliff on the far right of the volcano.

"Alright, then that's where we're heading, gang! Let's get going!"

"Right!" everyone said back to him.

"Wobbuffet!"

"Who told you to get out of your ball and answer to the enemy?!" Jessie yelled quietly at her Pokémon.

"Wobba." (The author.)

"I was afraid you would say that," she grumbled under her breath as she returned Wobbuffet to his Pokéball. "That author can really get under my skim almost as much as you do."

"Seriously, why does Team Rocket keep talking like we are all in some sort of fan fiction to an anime show?" whispered a confused Max to his older sister. May just shrugged in response.

Brock then stuck his head out of the bunker slowly to check and make sure there where no guards around. "How's it looking, Brock?" asked Tracey.

Thankfully, the only Rockets he could find were Jessie, James, and Meowth. He smiled back at his friends and whispered, "The coast is clear, guys. Let's move." He then climbed up and helped the others up, one by one, till they were all out of the bunker. They were just about to start climbing the volcanic mountain when suddenly the ground underneath them suddenly collapsed. The group screamed as they all fell downwards till they all landed twenty two feet underground with a big "oof."

"Oh man," moaned Ash. "Is everyone alright?"

"Yeah."

"No, not really," moaned the Rockets.

Ash then managed to get up to his feet, looked at the hole and took in his surroundings. Unlike the previous holes dugged by the trio he was presently trapped with, this hole was perfectly dugged out by the Team Rocket grunts on the island. "Well, I guess we're not gonna get out the way we came."

"We can't just climb out?" wondered Dawn.

"Nope. Not possible."

"I see what you mean, Ash," Brock said. "This hole was dug so perfectly, they left out any possible way of climbing back out." Ash and Brock's observations were true. The walls of the hole were way too smooth to be used to climb out back to the surface. In fact, when the group looked closer at the walls, they looked almost like walls made out of... iron.

"So that's it? We're trapped?" May panicked.

"Calm down. We'll think of something," Ash reassured her. Ash looked around again looking for something that could help them escape. Suddenly something caught his eye. "Hey guys, over here!" He walked over to the object he found with everyone else right behind him. He cautiously picked up the object, revealing its identity to the others.

"It looks like a remote of some sort," observed Max.

"A remote? A remote to what, exactly?" questioned May.

"Maybe it opens a secret passage way in TR HQ or something," suggested Gary.

"Maybe," muttered Ash as he observed the remote. "Jessie? James? You guys are Rockets. You have any idea what this could be for?"

He handed the remote to the two Rockets as they gazed upon the object. It wasn't your average looking TV remote or anything. It was more of a grey mechanical remote with a smell antenna on the top with two buttons, a green one and a red one, on the front of it. On each side there was written a very red **R**, which of course stood for Team Rocket. Ironically, Ash had observed that both of the **R**s resembled the same handwriting from the threatening note on his life that Tracey found after the Cerulean Gym blew up.

Finally finished looking at it, Meowth snapped his fingers. "I's got it!" he said excitedly.

"Pika, Kachu Pi Pikachu?" (Well, what is it for?)

Using the antenna on the top to guide him like it was a metal detector, Meowth then walked over to the wall on the left, moved the remote in its direction, and pressed the red button, causing the ground underneath them to shake as the wall suddenly opened, revealing a secret passage way. "Called it," Gary bragged.

Ignoring his former-rival-turned-friend, Ash walked forward and looked inside. It looked clear and that's exactly what he was afraid of. "You do realize," he stated bluntly as he turned around towards the others, "that if we go through here, we could be walking into a trap."

"Well, we've already been through a lot on this adventure," joked Dawn, "so how are a bunch of Team Rocket grunts going to compare to all _that_?"

Ash snickered knowingly and moved aside and gestured his hands towards the entrance. "Shall we then?" he smirked.

The group all nodded, though Team Rocket were a little hesitant at first, and made their way through the entrance, with Ash and Pikachu right behind them. "Pi Pika Chu Ka, Pikapi? Pika Kachu Pi Pika Pika Pikachu." (You ready for this, Ash? It all ends here and it won't be easy.)

Ash grinned at his best (Pokémon) friend and said, "Buddy if I wanted the easy life, I never would've became a Pokémon Trainer in the first place."

"Pikachu, Pikapi. Pikachu." (Touché, Ash. Touché.)

Ash laughed and then, with Pikachu on his shoulder, walked into the passage way into TR HQ.

He had just rejoined the group has they made their way through the dark tunnel. May had her Blaziken to use a small Ember attack on a torch-like stick she had stumbled upon, and they used that as their source of light. It wasn't the greatest light but it would have to do. As Ash rejoined the group, their was something on the back of his mind he couldn't quite figure out. Needless to say, it was bugging him and this was the first time all week that something was bothering him that didn't involve a certain red head. Realizing he needed answers he walled over to the person, or in this case Pokémon, who he knew had the answers.

"Hey Meowth," he asked the talking Scratch Pokémon of Team Rocket, "how did you know what that remote was for?"

Meowth looked up at the Twerp in question and answered, "I'm a tech genius. I's had built a whole bunch of stuff for Team Rocket. Weapons, gadgets, appliances, you's name it, I's built it."

"So you just recognized the design or what?"

"Yeah, pretty much, Twerp-o."

"I see," Ash muttered. _At least I got one thing on my mind taken care of._

The group continued walking down the path until May finally saw light at the end of the hallway. "Guys, I found a way out!" she cried out to the others excitedly. She had Max used Ash's Squirtle's Water Gun to put out the torch fire. The group then picked up their pace till they made it to the lighting which turned out to be an air vent. One by one, the group managed to climb into the air vent and crawled their way through. Ash, who was leading, managed to sneak peaks through the air vents under him to check if the coast was clear. After three to five rooms filled with guards, he finally found on that was empty. At a good glance, he was able to come to the conclusion that the room in question was a storage room filled with a bunch of boxes and spider webs. Other then that the room was guard free.

"Alright, this looks as good as a place to get out as ever," Ash said as he quietly climbed down from the air vent. The rest of the group followed him.

"Alright now what's the plan?" Max asked curiously.

As it would turn out, Ash and Brock had discussed with James the plan of action when they made it inside the base. "We pretend that Jessie, Meowth, and I captured you guys and escort you guys to where they keep the prisoners so you can release the Red Headed Twepette," explained James.

"Then we find whoever was responsible for the attack on Misty and every other Gym Leader and their Pokémon and put a stop to whatever plan he has once and for!" Ash said while pumping his tight fists, the adrenaline and determination to take down his mysterious adversary already flowing rapidly through his veins.

"Sounds good to me," replied Tracey.

"Count me in," Gary stated.

"Us too," the two girls said in unison.

"You know I'm in," Max said.

Everyone looked at Jessie and Meowth. The two sighed in aggravation and Jessie spoke up, "Fine," she grumbled.

"What the heck, I didn't have anything else planned for today," Meowth mumbled.

"But just remember, Twerp," Jessie snared at Ash, getting all up in his face, "as soon as we save your little girlfriend, things will be back to normal and we will be taking that Pikachu! U got it?"

Ash seemed completely unaffected by Jessie as he just simply rolled his eyes and turned around. "Whatever," he muttered. Then he turned around. "And she's NOT my girlfriend!"

So they managed to find their way out of the storage area and found the exit. Jessie and James went first to check if the hallway was clear. Sure enough, the group managed to escape the storage room and snuck through the hallway without getting spotted by any of Team Rocket.

Or so they thought.

They snuck their way through the halls of TR HQ with Jessie and James leading in front and Meowth in the back, just in case they ran into any grunts they could use their cover up. But as they made their way through, the group was getting suspicious that the empty halls were a little too empty of guards. _Surely, _Ash thought to himself, _we would have run into a guard or two by now. We have definitely walked into a trap. But then again, when has that ever stopped me? _He smirked at that last thought. But sure enough, Ash was right. **(Author's Notes: HOW OFTEN DOES THAT HAPPEN?! Dang, this story is just full of surprises, isn't it?) **As soon as they all made took a left turn down the hallway, which was the shortest way to the detention area according to Meowth, the group was suddenly attacked with a powerful Thunderbolt attack. The group all cried in agony until the attack wore off, causing them all to fall down to their knees, panting and burnt to a crisp. Ash looked up and gasped. Surrounding the group was about ten to twenty Team Rocket grunts surrounding them holding pistols in their hands. The group all stood up and raised their hands in the air in defeat. This was not at all part of the plan.

"Wait!" James pleaded. "We can explain!"

"We captured these trespassers and we were just taking them to their cells!" lied Jessie, smiling as she tried to convince them.

"Heh Heh Heh," an evil voice snickered behind the hoard of grunts. "Do you really think the rest of Team Rocket is as stupid as you two and your little kitten?"

Had that voice been not at all threatening and venomous (not too mention familiar to the trio), Meowth for sure would've yelled back protests and against whom ever was dumb enough to call him a kitten. Instead, it made both Meowth and the two human Rockets shiver in fear as the mysterious figure walked through the crowd of Rockets and made his way in front of the trio and the kids, revealing his identity as the Marauder. By his side was an Electvire, an electric humanoid Pokémon covered in yellow fur with black stripes. Electric sparks were flying all over the sinister Pokémon's body as it glared down at the humans, causing the three trembling Rockets to hug each other in fear and Ash to glare back. Though he couldn't help but wonder why this Electvire looked so familiar, especially with that glare. The Marauder, his gloves shock-proof, started petting the fur of the Pokémon as he chuckled at his captives. "What do you think, Ketchum?" he asked maniacally at Ash, getting his attention. "My master's Electvire as gotten a whole lot stronger since the last time you battled it and him. And I must say, it was almost as anxious to give you your just deserts as its master. But that doesn't really surprise me. After all, aren't Pokémon supposed to take the personality of their trainer?"

Ash growled at him and Electvire. "Who are you working for?! And where are you keeping Misty?!"

Marauder laughed maniacally. "What honestly makes you think that I'm as weak minded as these three pathetic excuses for Team Rocket agents to spill the beans? But if you are really in such a hurry to be with your little lady friend, I can arrange you to see her... after my master's new Pokémon 'deals' with you, she will be 'dealt with as well."

"Not if I can help it!"

Marauder smirked. "And just what do you plan on doing? You and your friends are out numbered, out gunned, and surrounded."

Ash then returned his smirk with his own. "Maybe so, but you'll find that I'm full of surprises. NOW PIKACHU!"

"Pikaaaaa-CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

Within a split second, Marauder and all the grunts were crumpled on the ground, burnt to a crisp due to Pikachu's massive Thunderstrike Attack. Ash and the gang, who all managed to duck in time to avoid being shocked twice in one day, took their chance and ran pass them down the hall. Unfortunately, Electvire, also being an electric type, was not effected by the attack and it quickly started preparing a massive Thunder Punch towards them. Gary saw it coming and knew exactly what to do as he threw a quick chosen Pokéball.

"Blastoise, Power-up Punch now!" Blastoise's fist then started glowing with a red-orange aura and it punched Electvire before it could punch back. The impact, however, only made Electvire slide back a little till it stood right by Marauder and the grunts who had just now recovered form Pikachu's Thunderstrike.

Marauder grinned wickedly at the group who had since stopped once they saw the grunts grab their Pokéballs. "Find," he said. "If its war you want, than its war you shall get."

"Fine by us!" Ash yelled back, getting a Pokéball ready. However Brock stopped him.

"Wait Ash," Brock said, "We'll take care of them! You go save Misty!"

Ash didn't dare argue with him. He just quickly nodded and ran off towards where the prison was located with Pikachu by his side. Brock and the rest blocked any one of the Rocket grunts from following his trail as they all at once released all their Pokémon at the same time the Rockets released theirs. All the Pokémon at each other as they awaited their master's ok to attack.

Of course, Marauder was prepared with his wrist communicator at ready. "Attention all Rockets, Pokémon Master Ash Ketchum is running loose through the building. He is armed with dangerous Pokémon. Capture at sight! But makes sure he is alive! Boss wants to deal with him his self!" He then lowered it and then released his own Pokémon flanking the grunts' Pokémon. He then smiled maniacally. "You see," he hissed at the group in front of him," it's no matter if you stall us or not. Neither Master Ketchum nor his precious girlfriend will make it out of here alive. Its utterly pointless to fight us."

"The show ain't over yet, Marauder!" Brock yelled back. "And we will make sure that both of our friends make it out alive, even if it means we don't!"

"RIGHT!" the rest of the group agreed, surprising even Jessie, James, and Meowth.

"Hmhmhm. So be it. Your funeral. Rockets, GET THEM!"

"FOR ASH AND MISTY!"

At that moment all the Pokémon collided in an all out war in Team Rocket Headquarters...

* * *

I'm done with Chapter 13. YAY! I hope you all enjoyed that. And did you notice the little hint of who the true villain is. Can you guess who it is? Tell you what. When you review this chapter, you can give a wild guess of who you think it might be. Well I gotta split. Bye.


	14. Reunited

We are finally here, folks! This is the chapter where Ash and Misty finally get reunited. I have been waiting to write this chapter for a long while now and I have finally finished it. But how will Misty take seeing Ash again long after their last encounter? Well, let's read and find out, shall we? And don't forget to review!

WARNING: This is a sad chapter. After all, Ash has to pay the price for his mistakes, right?

I don't own Pokémon but I do own a Pokémon shirt if that means anything.

No? Drat. Oh well.

* * *

**Chapter 14: Reunited**

_Johto just seemed to go by quick for me and the guys and in no time at all, Ash had collected all eight of the Johto Gym Badges and was ready to take on the Johto __Silver Conference Tournament. I had all the confidence in the world in him. He had, after all, came along way from the trainer who fought a bird with a bug; and now he had his entire Kanto/Johto team, including Squirtle and Charizard who were both training else where, training for the big matches, with the help of his coaches, Brock and I, of course. (And this time, Charizard listened to Ash completely.). So after we managed to take back the Sacred Flame for the Johto League from the Sneasel who 'stole' it, the league began and Ash was ready for his first preliminary battle. Unfortunately, his first match was against this one girl: Macy. There were two things that really ticked me off about this girl, the first one being that she preferred fire-type Pokémon over water types. I mean, seriously, water obviously has the advantage over fire! Oh what does she know?! But what really placed her on my hit list was she instantly became competition not just for Ash over the battles, but also competition for me over Ash himself. That's right. Just because Ash's chivalry kicked in to save her from hitting a boulder after stumbling down a hill, she is instantly smitten by Ash and becomes a female Brock towards him. (And that's a pretty scary thought) The jealous bug inside of me quickly kicked in, and I immediately stopped her from asking my Ash out on a date by my claiming he was "booked." We got in a heated argument over both Ash and our preferences over Pokémon when finally it was decided, by her not me, that if Macy won Ash would go on a date with her. Well, you can bet your lucky Staru and Starme that I was praising Arceus, Mew, and every other Legendary Pokémon out there that Ash won that match against her. (Not that I had my doubts.) Afterwards, she left him alone, which I believe Ash was MORE than ok with (I know I was), we moved on towards Ash's next match, a kid named Jackson. The match ended in a draw, but due to Jackson losing his last match, Ash was the one who advanced to the Victory Tournament. Then we all got surprised when we found out who his first Victory Tournament opponent was: Ash's main rival himself Gary Oak. I have to say, it was kind of exciting to finally watch the big and final match between the two rivals, and I cheered Ash all the way through. Brock and I helped Ash out preparing his strategy, knowing that this was the fight that would finally put an end to their rivalry and reveal who was the stronger trainer of the two. The next day, the battle began. It was Gary's Nidoqueen vs. one of Ash's Tauros. Ash's Heracross vs. Gary's Magmar. Gary's Blastoise vs. Ash's Heracross. Ash's Muk vs. Gary's Blastoise. Gary's Blastoise vs. Ash's Bayleef. Ash's Snorlax vs. Gary's Arcanine. Gary's Nidoqueen vs. Ash's Snorlax. Ash's Snorlax vs. Gary's Scizor. And then Gary's Scizor vs. Ash's Muk. Ash was now down to only one Pokémon left against Gary's three, but if I know Ash, he has always had a way to turn bad situations around. So now it was Charizard vs. Gary's Blastoise, Scizor, and Golem. And in the end, Ash had come on top, beaten Gary, and brought an end to their rivalry once and for all. And in the end, the two once hated rivals finally became friends, with Gary afterwards deciding to follow in his grandfather's footsteps as a Pokémon Researcher. Sadly, Ash was over-powered in the next match by a trainer named Harrison and his Blaziken from the Hoenn region, placing Ash in the top 8 of the Johto _Silver Conference Tournament_. I really felt bad that Ash had lost a tournament again, but I was so proud of him when he took the loss with dignity and pressed on without looking back. That was always one of the things I loved about him._

_He never gave up. __No matter what._

"THERE HE IS!"

"DON'T LET HIM GET AWAY!"

"PIKACUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

That was about the fifth and sixth Team Rocket grunts Ash and Pikachu ran into on their way through the hall of Team Rocket HQ towards where Misty was being held; and each one of the Rockets were instantly Thunderbolted to the ground by Pikachu. "Come on, Pikachu! We're almost there! I can feel it!"

"Pika!"

The two had been running from the grunts for about a half a mile since they split up from the rest of the group, and Ash could feel it in his gut that he was so much closer to Misty by now. Of course, the Marauder's message through the intercom alerting all the grunts of his presents made it twice as difficult to get there. Not to mention that while he was running from them he had tripped over a metal pipe and scraped his knee, causing his jeans to rip and a small amount of blood to poor out. Nevertheless, nothing could stop Ash Ketchum from achieving his goal. Never had and never will.

Unfortunately, Ash's determination wasn't able to save him from the Taser from the Rocket hiding behind the next corner. "AAAAHHHH!" he cried out in pain as it shot him at his chest. After the grunt pulled it away, Ash's body fell limb onto the floor. "PIKAPI!" screamed Pikachu.

The Rocket grunt then turned his attention to the little, yellow mouse Pokémon. "Now come here, you little rat!" the grunt growled as he tried to grab him. Unfortunately for him, Pikachu was able to dodge each of his tries to nap him with his Quick Attack. The grunt tried jumping for him, but ended up landing on his face as Pikachu quickly dodged. The Pokémon was just about to give him a good ol' Thunderbolt attack when the barely conscious Ash stopped him.

"No Pikachu," he whispered to his trusty starter. "Go help Brock and the others."

"Pi Pikapi..." (But Ash...)

"No buts, pal. I'll be fine. They'll need your help. Now go! I'll catch up with you later! Now go! NOW!"

Pikachu wanted to continue protesting, but by looking into his master's eyes, he knew Ash had this under control. So with a final nod, the little mouse used his Quick Attack and ran back down the hallway as fast as he could to find the others.

The grunt managed to get back up but not till right after Pikachu had made his escape. After realizing that the rodent was missing he pulled out his walkie-talkie and called it in. "Attention: a little Pikachu is running loose in the building! Apprehend at sight! Remain cautioned: the Pikachu is fast and extremely dangerous!"

"Copy that!" a grunt on the walkie-talkie responded.

The grunt then smiled down at Ash as he picked him up by the shirt collar. "Yah know kid. You've been a major pain to the Master's backside," he said as he held a gun with the other hand to Ash's face. Ash showed no fear what so ever. He only sneered back at the Rocket. "And I really, REALLY would enjoy having the privilege of watching you squeal in agony as I shoot you in the head. However, the boss wants you alive long enough to see his master plan in action. So, I'll just have to make due with knocking you out." And with a hard punch in the face, that's exactly what he did.

...

Ash found himself waking up from unconsciousness in what looked liked a prison cell. He blinked a few times. Yep, he was in a prison cell. He winced as he felt the headache he received from the grunt's punch. _Well, this is not what I meant when I said I could feel I was getting closer to the prisons, _he thought. He then suddenly realized that something was missing from his wardrobe. He moved his hands down towards his belt only to realize that his belt- along with his Pokéballs- was missing. _Great, _he thought. _They have all my Pokémon. _Ash sighed. Without his Pokémon, he wasn't getting out of here anytime soon.

Ash was so focused on being separated from his Pokémon, that he failed to noticed something, or someone, crumbled on the floor.

Ash, realizing that at the moment he was stuck until Pikachu, Brock, or someone came to his rescue, decided to sit back and dwell on his thoughts while waiting for something to happen. Its not that he had given up or anything, but he knew it was pointless to try anything to escape at the moment. But his dwelling didn't last very long, because as he took in his surroundings, he noticed something huddled in the corner. Taking a better look, he realized it was a human, but not just any human. It was a girl, but she was not just any girl. Taking an even closer look, Ash's eyes widen and he gasped as he instantly recognized the unconscious girl crumbled on the floor. It was her, The girl who he traveled all this way for. It was the girl who he braved massive Pokémon and Team Rocket's finest just to get to her. It was the girl who he had badly hurt all those years ago. It was the girl he loved with all his heart and yet knew he lost any chance with. It was her.

It was Misty.

As Ash gazed at her, he noticed all her injuries from the huge gash of dried blood on the back of her head to all the cuts and bruises on her body. He noticed the large bruise on her forehead and that her clothes were torn and ragged. She looked completely awful as if she had just came out of an explosion. But despite all that, Ash could tell she hadn't really changed all that much since the last time he saw her. To him, she was still that same beautiful tomboy goddess that he fell in love with so long ago.

However, Ash quickly realized that in addition to her limb and fragile body, her breathing was absolutely heavy and terrible, barely there even. The tone of her breathing was a rasping, scraping, spluttering and ragged tortured noise, shallow and rapid, lips trembling with each outlet of air, the intake fluttering as it struggled to infiltrate her constricted throat and feed the heaving lungs and palpitating heart.

Ash couldn't stand the sight of her suffering, but he couldn't think of any way he could help her. _Oh if only I had some of that fruit Brock gave me when I- _Ash's panicking thought process was interrupted when something kicked back into his mind. _Wait a minute! _He quickly shoved his left hand in his left pocket, as he scavenged through it, looking for something. Sure enough, he felt the item in his pocket and carefully pulled it out and gazed upon the item. It was one of the Angel Fruits. _That's right, _he thought. _After the Fruit had cured me and all, we all took a couple of the fruit each just in case we got separated and were in need of its cure._ He smiled but then frowned as he turned his gaze back to Misty's lifeless body. Ash right then and there knew what he had to do. He scooted himself over to her and turned her over on her back. He then gently and carefully lifted her frail head up and placed it on his lap. As he got the fruit ready with one hand. he failed to notice that he was unconsciously caressing her hair with his other hand. _Well, here goes nothing. _He took a deep breath, aimed the fruit right above the tips of her lips, and slowly squeezed the fruit's juice inside her mouth. Ash breathed a sigh of relief as Misty managed to swallow the juice despite her condition. After swallowing, Misty's head turned to its side, facing the opposite direction of Ash. Now all Ash had to do was wait for her to recover_._

As he waited, he continued gazing at the angel that was still resting her head on his lap. _It has been too long, Mist. _(sigh) _If only I hadn't said those nasty things to you. Maybe... none of this would've happened to you. _Then he bowed his head in remorse. _I'm sorry, Misty. I'm so, so sorry._ When he opened his eyes again just a few seconds later, he noticed her wounds and scars were fading away at a quick pace. Her huge gash disappeared without a trace, her bruise on her forehead vanished, all her physical scars practically evaporated as the Angel Fruit did its job and in a matter of a minute, Misty's entire body, minus her clothes which were still torn, was clear and good as new.

Within another few seconds after all the wounds and scars were nothing but a faded far away memory, Misty's nose twitched and her eyes were slowly fluttering open. Ash braced himself for her reaction when she finally saw him, after all these years. Soon, clear sight had returned to Misty as she took in her surroundings. She instantly found it weird that she wasn't feeling what she expected to feel. _That's odd, _she thought. _All that pain is gone and.. what am I laying on? It feels like... legs? _She slowly turned her head upwards to see what it was and her eyes grew wide with surprise and shock at the boy with the embarrassed grin who she hadn't seen since their last argument. _No,_ she thought panicky. _It... it can't be him! Why would he be here?! _And at that moment, for the first time in a week, but what seemed like years, she spoke.

"A-Ash?!"

"Heh heh. hey Misty," Ash said, rubbing the back of his neck with the hand he used to caress her hair. "I, uh... came to get you ou..." Ash never got to finish what he was going to say as a hand, not attached to his body, made its way to his face with a mighty smack. Ash recoiled and rubbed his sore cheek. _Yeah, I so deserved that._ He then turned his attention back to Misty, whose look of surprise and shock was replaced with a look of anger, hatred, and hurt. Lots and lots of hurt.

"Y-You've got a lot of nerve showing up in my life again, Ash Ketchum!" she yelled angrily at him. "After what you did to me, all the pain I went through because of YOU! Just who do you think you are?!"

Ash didn't know what to say. He knew she wouldn't exactly be happy to see him. All he really could say was "Listen, I know I'm in the wrong in what I did and I feel guilty about, but now is not the time..."

"Now is not the time for what?! To apologize?! Or rub it in my face even more how much of a waste it was to have a 'friend' like me?!"

"I never said that!"

"Well, that's pretty much the whole sum of what you said! Let me tell you this, you have no idea how much it hurts for the person who you once thought to be your best friend to tell you straight in the face that he wished you never existed! To have the person who gave you the most joy in life to stab you straight in the heart!"

"Look, I'm sorry, ok?" Ash said, annoyed. He didn't mean for his apology to be so strong, but Misty always had a way to try his patience. "Its not like I meant to say those things! You really were my best friend!"

"Was I?! Or was I just someone to walk around and cheer for you in battles till you got tired of me and left me to rot?!"

"Hey, now wait a minute! That day you left Brock and me has nothing to do with those things I said! I had no control over your leaving the group!"

"But you sure were happy about it! And it does have to do with it! It has to do with everything! It proved all you said that day at the picnic was true: You never cared about me! I never meant anything to you! I was never truly even your friend!"

"If you were never truly my friend, my BEST friend, why would I have met you for that picnic in the first place?!"

"DON'T give me that pile of 'best friend' lies you used to feed me, Ash! I'm sick of them, especially after hearing them for so long before the truth finally came out! If you truly were my best friend, or even just my friend, you never would've said all that to me! A true friend would've never said those things!"

Ash was getting furious by now. "Well, in case you forgot, you weren't exactly filling me with kind words that day either, Misty! I shouldn't be the only one apologizing here!"

"Argh! That's so typical of you! Always trying to one up someone just because you see yourself all high and mighty over everyone else!"

Now Ash was just outright angry. "I do NOT see myself all high and mighty over everyone else! I just risked my life in more ways than one just to come to Team Rocket just to save you! You think I did all that for Myself?! You think I risked getting thrown in this prison cell for Myself?! NO! I DID IT FOR YOU!"

An awkward silence took over the cell after Ash's outburst. He immediately regretted raising his voice, but he couldn't do anything about it. The two now had their backs to each other as they recovered from their confrontation.

Finally, after what felt like hours, Misty finally spoke up, hot, angry, and hurt tears running down her cheeks. "For me, huh?" she asked calmly but with no emotion.

Ash was startled by her questioning and turned around to face her. "What?"

"You really came all the way over here just to save me?" Again, with no emotion.

"...Yes."

Misty sighed. "That's... nice." Then she turned around and faced him, her tears still falling and her eyes filled with the pain and hurt she kept for a long time. "But if you think that this will justify what you said to me, that I will... forgive you for hurting me and then go back and travel with you again like nothing ever happened, you're sadly mistaken."

It hurt for him to hear that, but deep down Ash knew she was right. He shouldn't expect her to forgive him for his sin.

Misty slowly got up and sat down on the steel bed in the cell as she hugged her knees and cried some more silent tears. "I still can't believed I ever wanted to come back on the road and join you on your journey to Sinnoh."

Ash's eyes widened. _She was... going to travel with me again?! Oh my Mew... no._

"You might as well know, that was part of the reason of that little get together," she sniffed. "My sisters were home, so I was free to come back. And at the time, I so wanted to. Because I believed the lies you told me. I believed... that I was someone special to you. But I guess I wasn't."

Ash felt a sword had just stabbed him straight in the heart and stuck it all the way through. _She... She was actually coming back. And I destroyed any chance of that ever happening. _"What... What was the other reason... for the picnic?" he asked, full of regret.

Misty quickly chocked back a sob as she thought of what she almost confessed to him that day, of how she used to feel about him. "Y-You lost the privilege of ever knowing that, Ash Ketchum." With the hot tears still going down her cheeks, she turned to face him. "I really thought we were the perfect team. You used to mean the world to me. (sniff) And then you turn around, rip my heart out, and destroy my world. I'm no longer Misty you once knew, Ash. Y-You killed me inside. I can't let that go. And I can not forgive you for it."

Silence took over once again in the cell as Ash pondered the words she said to him. He finally saw the impact of the mean things he said to her, and he hated it. He hated himself for it.

Finally he spoke. "Misty," he whispered. No response came, but he continued anyway. "I-I don't expect you forgive me. I don't deserve it or your friendship. But I want you to know that I'm sorry. I never should have said those things to you." Ash was now in tears of regret as he continued. "I screwed up big time and I've regretted it ever since. If I could go back and take it back I would. But I can't." Silence. Ash sighed. "You meant the world to me to, Mist. You were never just some person in the crowd to me. And that day you left, I was devastated. You were my best friend. And that's what makes the guilt hurt the most; That I had just destroyed my most treasured friendship of all time." Silence again. "I didn't come here expecting you to forgive me and travel with me again, because I knew I would just be wishing the impossible. I understand why you're angry at me. I understand why you hate me. But don't worry, because I promise as (sniff) as soon as we get out of here and Team Rocket's plans are foiled, you'll never have to see me again. I'll walk out of your life so you will never get hurt again."

And with that, the two roommates went into another silence. After a few more minutes of antagonizing silence, a guard unlocked the cell door, catching Ash and Misty's attention. "Ash Ketchum, Misty Waterflower, the boss wishes your audiences. So lets move now unless you want to get shot."

Knowing they didn't have much choice, the two let their selves be taken by the Rocket guard up to where they would meet the boss. Misty had since stopped crying but her cheeks where still stained. Ash, on the other hand, pretty much gave up.

_Well, _he thought, _might as well find out who is behind all this. I just hope Pikachu, Brock and the others are alright._

* * *

Well, there you have it. I promise next chapter will reveal the identity of the main villain. So will Misty ever bring it upon herself to forgive Ash? Or is it truly too late? All will be answered and explained soon. We are almost done. Meanwhile, just remember to review, favorite, and follow. Well, I gotta get going. Bye!


	15. Pikachu to the Rescue

Chapter 15! You asked for it and here it is. We finally saw Ash and Misty reunite after all these years (not on the best of terms, sadly) and now we shall follow Pikachu as he goes to find the others, for they might be in trouble. And like I promise, prepare for the end of this chapter as I finally reveal the identity of the villain behind everything that has happened thus far in the story. And I promise, you won't expect who it is. Plus, at the end I'll show you the little plot detail I had to change due to another story having the same idea. But honestly, I like how I changed it and I think you will, too. Now, lets read and review chapter 15, shall we?

I don't own Pokémon... blah blah blah...

* * *

**Chapter 15: Pikachu to the Rescue**

_It had been a week since the Johto Sliver Conference, and we were now back in Kanto on the road to Pallet Town for a quick... b-break. (Ahem) Anyways, we were camping just outside Verdian City that night as me and Ash spent the night together just star-gazing and talking. Now I know I said Ash took his loss at Johto with dignity, but that didn't mean he wasn't disappointed about his loss. And I could tell, as I knew him better than he knew himself, that he was definitely down about it that very night. He wasn't crying over it or acting like a big baby like he did at the Indigo Plateau Conference, but just looked plain bummed. As weird as it sounds, Ash was slowly, but surely, showing some signs of maturity. And due to our relationship had grown a lot stronger since those days, I couldn't just yell at him or tell him to suck it up and grow up. No. This time, I knew Ash didn't need coach Misty, who will push him to the limit with brute force and mallets. Instead, Ash needed Misty, his best friend who was always there for him, through thick and thin, from now till the end of time. And that's what I did. I went all out that night telling my secret love how much I believed in him, how he was destined for greatness, and encouraged him to keep going and never give up till he finally became a __Pokémon Master. And I meant every word. By the end of my little speech, Ash seemed reenergized and filled with confidence. Then he surprised me. He hugged me, thanking me for what I said, saying it meant a lot coming from me. That night, we promised to always be friends till the end and that I would support him all the way through his journey. That was one of our closest moments together. And I have no regrets of it. Well... almost none. As soon as we finished, it seemed like the perfect time and place for me to confess my love to the boy. The moon and the stars were out, shining beautifully over us and our little camp. Ash and I had just had a huge heart to heart and I pretty much just confessed already that I believed in him and that he meant a lot to me. All I had to do was just say three words. Three simple syllables. And yet, the same thing happened that happened all other times I tried. I chickened out. Regardless of the other stuff I said, I just couldn't bring myself to admit to him my secret and true feelings for him. So we just ended up saying good night and joined Brock and Pikachu in dream land. I would later come to regret chickening out that night above all the other times I chickened out. Because that night I had lost my chance of ever telling him on our journey together._

_Because that night was my last night... w-with Ash._

Meanwhile, in another part of TR HQ...

"LET US OUT RIGHT NOW! THIS IS AN OUTRAGE! WHERE'S MY AGENT?!"

"WE'RE TEAM ROCKET JUST LIKE YOU ARE! WHY ARE WE BEING LOCKED UP WITH THE TWERPS?!"

Those were the voices of a certain duo of bandits screaming in a prison cell, held by their own fellow Rockets. Jessie and James were screaming and throwing threats at the Rockets holding them in their cell for what seemed like hours. At least it felt that way to Brock, Tracey, May, Max, Dawn, and Gary. In realty, it had only been thirty minutes since their Pokémon were defeated by the outnumbering and overpowering Pokémon of Team Rocket. Needless to say, with their Pokémon down and out, there was nothing protecting the group from getting captured and thrown in one of the many prison halls in Team Rocket Headquarters. They were now separate from all of their Pokémon (including Meowth and Jessie and James' Pokémon) which were held in a separate prison department in the building held purposely for holding captive Pokémon.

"Shut up, you traitors!" the guard yelled as he slammed his fist on the cell bars. "You should've thought of which side you were on during the battle! Obviously if you were truly bringing them in as your captives, then you would've had them in chandelles or something! We're not all as stupid as you two and your cat are!"

"WHY I OUTTA!" screamed Jessie, frantically swinging her fists trying to punch the grunt to no prevail, of course.

"Will you two calm down?!" snapped Max, who, along with everyone else in the cell, had grown very annoyed by now. "No one is going to listen to you!"

"WE don't even want to listen to you!" snapped May.

"And its your own faults for being thrown in here with us!" added Dawn.

"Alright, alright," James exclaimed. "We obviously didn't think this through."

"You think?" Gary sighed, raising an eyebrow. "Honestly, you guys can be dumber than Ashy-Boy ever was, faking it or not."

"ARRGH!" Jessie screamed as she fell to her knees, pretty much giving up trying to hit the guard. "Now what do we do?!"

"All we can do is just sit tight," stated Brock, once again taking the role of being the wise one of the group. "I'm sure Ash has found Misty by now so I'm sure he will come for us next."

"Umm, not to question you, Brock," Dawn interrupted politely, "but how will Ash even find out we are here?"

Brock sighed. "Well, he would have to figure we got captured since we haven't met back up with him yet."

"And thankfully," Tracey added, "he had Pikachu with him who has pretty good senses."

"I hope you guys are right," May whined. "I'm getting tired of sharing a cell with Team Rocket. ARGH! WHERE'S DREW WHEN I NEED HIM?!"

"You should consider yourself lucky that you at least have a guy like Drew who cares about you," Dawn said.

May instantly calmed down and looked towards her friend. "What do you mean?"

"Well, to be honest, Paul's been acting less and less of a great boyfriend lately, being so grumpy all the time. Actually, he's always been that way, but I still could've sworn I saw a change in him after he started to respect Ash and me. (sigh) Sometimes I wonder why I ever grew interested in him."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Dawn," said May, felling sympathy for her friend. "I had no idea your relationship was suffering."

"Oh don't worry, May. Its probably nothing. After all, he still does have his moments of still being the sweetest guy on the planet to me. I guess I just still haven't gotten used to dating a guy with a personality quite like his yet. I don't know, I'm just gonna have to make the best of it like I always have. I'll be fine."

"But Dawn, I..."

"No need to worry, my friend," she reassured with a wink. "I promise."

"...Well, ok," May said with a sad smile, still not at all convinced.

Brock watched on, also feeling sorry for Dawn, while also thinking of the other relationship that was more on the line than Dawn and Paul (which really just counted in the complicated category of relationships): Ash and Misty.

_Lets just hope that he found her okay, so that they could come and get us._

Meanwhile, Pikachu kept running and running as fast as he could to get away from the army of grunts chasing him. His Thunderbolts were able to take a few down, but not a lot and it was using a lot of his energy. Nevertheless, he had to find the others. A little eavesdropping had led him to know that the battle earlier had gone sour and his friends were now held prisoner in a different area than where Misty was being held. So Pikachu, despite being just about worn out, had to pick up the pace and rescue them.

Easier said than done if you have at least twelve Team Rocket grunts on your tail. **(Author's Notes: Pardon my pun. XD)**

Pikachu finally managed to get to the right hallway when suddenly ten more grunts appeared waiting for him just around the corner. "No where to run now, you little rat," one of the grunts snickered wickedly at him as he walked closer to Pikachu, who was now surrounded by twenty-two grunts. "We have you surrounded and completely out-numbered. Now be a good little rat and we promise to make this less painful for you."

Of course, Pikachu would have nothing of it. He was going to save Ash and his friends if it was the last thing he would do. And that very moment the grunt tried to grab him, Pikachu jumped and landed right on him, only to sink his fang like teeth deep into his arm, causing the grunt to scream in pain. "GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!" he cried as he tried to shake the little Pokémon off of him. But Pikachu's jaw were pretty darn strong and he held on tightly and perfectly. "DON'T JUST STAND THERE, YOU FOOLS! GET IT OFF OF ME!"

"Oh, yes sir!" But as soon as the grunt who answered ran to grab Pikachu, the yellow Pokémon leaped out of the way just in the nick of time, causing the grunt to awkwardly grab the other grunt's arm instead. "Oops. Heh heh," he sweatdropped. The other grunt didn't even have time to shake him off of him as he, along with every other Team Rocket grunt in that hallway, felt the effects of a powerful Thundershock attack coming from the mouse Pokémon spinning in midair, causing all the grunts to fall to the ground, anime-burnt and unconscious. Pikachu than landed on his feet, panting after that little display of power. As soon as he got his breath back, he used his good senses to lead him to the exact area where his human friends were. Both the humans and their Pokémon were separated respectively from each other and Pikachu decided to free Brock and the others first because they were closer than where their Pokémon were held captive. He knew this because his eavesdropping and spying earlier helped him see which direction the new shifts of grunt were on their way to guard his human and Pokémon friends in their respective cell areas.

As Pikachu entered the room quietly, he was able to peek behind a nearby desk to avoid being caught by the grunt guarding the group. However, that turned out pointless as he realized that the grunt was fast asleep, causing Pikachu to sweatdropped a big one. Shaking his head he easily sneaked over to the snoozing grunt and quickly and quietly grabbed the keys to the human's cell.

"Pikachu," (Hey guys.) he whispered to the group. The humans, too consumed in their own little worlds to notice the rodent when he first entered the room, were surprised to see the little Pokémon there but were more than thrilled.

"Pikachu!" they group cheered.

"I don't ever remember being so happy to see the Master Twerp's Pikachu!" James said happily as Pikachu waved at them.

"Over here, Pika-Pal!" Dawn said as she motioned him over to her. Pikachu got the message and ran over to her, handing her the keys. Dawn wasted no time in unlocking their cell door, freeing them at last.

Unfortunately, any chance of them sneaking carefully and quietly away were instantly shattered as Jessie, a little too excitedly, swung the cell door wide open a little too hard. On top of that, the group failed to stop her from yelling happily, "FREE AT LAST!" Obviously, both sounds were enough to wake up the guard with a start. Pikachu shook his head sadly as the rest of the group, even James, glared at Jessie. "Heh heh. Oops?" she said with her hand rubbing the back of her head, while blushing out of pure embarrassment.

"HEY! WHATS GOING ON?!" the grunt yelled angrily at the group. But he never got the chance to do anything because just as he reached for something in his pocket, most likely either a gun or a taser, Pikachu did a Quick Attack to his chest, pushing him backwards into a filing cabinet. The impact instantly knocked him out.

"Pi chu. Pi Pi Pika Pikachu." (There. That ought a hold him for a while.)

Everyone sighed in relief. "That was way too close,"breathed Tracey.

"Yeah, no thanks to Jessie," grumbled James, earning him a bump on the head from his hot-tempered partner-in-crime. "Ow."

Now that the group was finally free, Brock realized that neither Ash nor Misty, whom Brock and the others assume was with Ash by now, was no where to be seen with Pikachu. "Hey Pikachu, where's Ash?"

Hearing the name of his trainer in distress, Pikachu frantically answered, "Pikapi! Pikachu! Pika Pika Chu!" (Ash! Captured! By Team Rocket grunt!)

Brock, being the only other person other than Ash to understand Pikachu, gasped. "Oh no."

"What did he say, Brock?" May asked.

"Its Ash. He's in trouble."

"WHAT?!" the rest of the group gasped in horror.

"Well, that's just great!" yelled an aggravated Jessie.

"Came to save the Twerp's little lost girlfriend, and end up having to save the Twerp's sorry butt as well!" James joined in.

Ignoring the Rockets, Dawn spoke up. "What are we gonna do now?!"

"Pika Pika Chu Pikapi! Kachu Chu Pika Pikachu!" (You guys go find Ash! I'll go get the other Pokémon!)

"And how are we gonna find Ash without our Pokémon?" Max asked.

Brock looked up, had an idea, and smiled. "Its a cliché, but there is always the ventilation shaft."

"You're right," Gary said jokingly. "It is cliché."

"But it will have to do," Dawn said. Let's go everyone!"

So taking a chair, the group managed to climb into the shaft. James had said that it was very possible the boss would want the grunts to bring Ash to him, on account of him being the one who caused Team Rocket the most trouble. And thus with a quick thanks to Pikachu for freeing them, the human group slipped into the shaft led by Jessie and James to where the boss would be, while Pikachu continued towards where the Pokémon were being held.

Speaking of the Pokémon, Meowth was being just as uncooperative as his human partners in his cell with the rest of Jessie and James' and the twerps' Pokémon.

"I'S WANT MY LAYWER! I'S DEMAND SATISFACTION! I'S WANT..." Meowth found himself interrupted not by the grunt, but by the Flamethrower from a certain fire-breathing dragon Pokémon who was only recently brought in the Pokémon power-proof cell.

"Now, I suggest you shut up unless you want your fur to burn out, kitty," Charizard snarled at the scratch Pokémon. Meowth, not really wanting to fight the Main Twerp's massive powerhouse, shook, nodded, and kept his mouth shut. Charizard smirked. "That's what I thought." **(Author's Notes: Since no humans are around in this scene, I will just skip right to the translations of what the Pokémon are saying here.)**

Suddenly, Meowth, Charizard, and the rest of the Pokémon all heard a loud "PIKACHHUUUUUU!" followed by some people being electrocuted in the hallway outside. At that moment, Pikachu walked in the room with a victorious grin on his face.

"What took you so long?" Charizard teased with a smirk.

"Oh you know, the usual," Pikachu said jokingly. "Just a bunch of uniformed weirdoes who think they can out do me with numbers." A bunch of the Pokémon snickered at Pikachu's little joke. Well, except Meowth, of course.

"Whatever," he complained. "Can you just get us out of here already?"

"Wobbuffet."

Pikachu wasted no time in freeing the Pokémon from their cells and soon a whole army's worth of Pokémon was unleashed from the bonds of Team Rocket. But just when they entered the hallway, at least two hundred Team Rocket grunts and their own Pokémon surrounded the Pokémon. Pikachu and friends (and in the case of Meowth and Jessie and James' Pokémon, frienemies.) got ready for battle round two.

"Alright, guys, "Pikachu said, sparks coming out of his cheeks, "Let's get to work."

Meanwhile with Ash and Misty, the two had said nothing to each other through the entire time the grunt had guided them harshly towards the boss's office, not even bothering to glance at each other. It was the most uncomfortable silence the two had ever experienced, especially with each other. But soon, the two were soon brought to a very poorly lighted room with a desk in the center. Looking across from them, but still not glancing at each other, Ash and Misty could see a _figure_ sitting behind the desk but because of the dim lighting there was no way to see what _he_ (they could at least tell _he_ was male) looked like. Though, something felt weird about this _guy_ that made Ash feel very uneasy. _There's something oddly familiar about this guy, _he thought. _Almost if I've met him before. And yet, I can't put my finger on it. _Then Ash noticed two other figures standing right behind _him. _The first stepped into the light so Ash and Misty were able to quickly recognize him as the Marauder. The other figure still stood right behind the mysterious _figure_ in the shadows. Though he couldn't tell what it was, Ash could tell it almost looked like a humanoid Pokémon of some sort that he had never encountered before. And being Pokémon Master Ash Ketchum, there was barely any known Pokémon he hadn't encountered yet.

Until now, that is.

_He_ said to the grunt with venom in his voice. The grunt bowed and then left, leaving Ash and Misty behind to be confronted._ He_ looked at the two kids in front of _him_ and smirked (which was as close to smiling _he_ would ever get to) at them. "Ash Ketchum," _he _scoffed still in the shadows, "it sure took you long enough to get here."

Ash growled back at _him _through his teeth. Misty just simply gave her infamous death glare (that would rival Luigi's) at _him._

"What do you want with me?" Ash demanded angrily. "And who in Ho-Oh's name are you?"

"WATCH HOW YOU SPEAK TO HIM!" Marauder yelled at Ash, who stayed unfazed. "HE'S THE SON OF THE BOSS HIMSELF, GIOVANNI, YOU KNOW! HE DESERVES YOUR RESPECT!"

"What?!" Misty questioned. "Since when did Giovanni have a son?"

"You mean," Ash said surprised, "THIS guy is Giovanni's son?"

_He _once again smirked and stood up and turned around so that his back was now turned to Marauder and the two kids. "Not exactly."

"Wait, what?" The Marauder asked, plain confused.

* * *

"Are we almost there, James?" Jessie complained as they continued crawling through the shaft. "My legs are getting tired."

"Yes, we are almost there," whined James. "For the ten-millionth time in the last 10 minutes, we are almost there."

"Guys, seriously," Brock said sternly, "quit bickering and just keep crawling!"

"Ok, ok! Sheesh! Who put you in charge, Twerp?" Jessie exclaimed exhaustedly.

"It was voted upon after Ash left," Max said simply.

"Great."

* * *

"You're a pathetic fool, Marauder," _he _said murderously. "It was all an act. An act I used to fulfill my plans so I could take over Team Rocket from the inside out."

Marauder's eyes widen. (Though you couldn't tell with the helmet over them.) "You mean to tell me-"

"That you were hoodwinked? That you were stupid enough to fall for my act of being Giovanni's long lost son? Yes, you were stupid to think so, especially since everyone in Team Rocket, even those who were trained in secret for so many years, knows that Giovanni never had a kid a day in his life."

Marauder was now gritting his teeth in anger and rage at the person he once thought as Giovanni's boy. "Why you- I should kill you for this deception!" he yelled as he brought out his pistol and aimed it at _his _head.

* * *

"There's too many of them!" screamed Piplup as he, Tauros, Blaziken, Blastoise, Arbok, Cacnea, Inkay, Dodrio, Steelix, and Geodude fought off against a bunch of grunts and their Pokémon to the left of the group. "We can't hold them off!"

"Just hold on, guys!" Pikachu yelled as he, Charizard, Bulbasaur, Meowth, Quilava, Togekiss, Forretress, Umbreon, Magmar, Beedrill, and Weezing fought off against a bunch of grunts and their Pokémon to their right of the group. "We just gotta get through these guys so we can save Ash and Misty!"

Unfortunately, the more Team Rocket grunts and Pokémon that were taken down, the more Team Rocket grunts and Pokémon took their places against Pikachu and friends (and frienemines.) Despite their groups, Pikachu and the gang were losing badly.

"AAAHHH!" screamed the team of Pokémon from behind Pikachu as they were suddenly brought down all at once, completely drained of their powers. Pikachu looked behind him right after shocking five grunts at once and stood in horror as he watched his friends get shot by very deadly looking guns that not only drained them powerless but wounded them severly. Pikachu then watched on in horror as every single one of his friends got shot down one by one. And there was nothing Pikachu could do to stop it.

* * *

The gun fired a bullet straight at _his _head, but _he _didn't even flinch. Suddenly, blue sinister eyes starting glowing, magically stopping the bullet just an inch from _his _unfazed face. Then with a mighty hand movement from the Pokémon in the shadows, the bullet turned around and sharply hit Marauder right through his left leg. "AAAAHHH!" he screamed. Ash and Misty gasped in shock at the display and then turned their eyes back towards _him_ with disgust.

"Oh please," _he _said, rolling _his _eyes at Marauder wincing in pain with his leg bleeding out. "You honestly thought that measly ol' weapon could take me down... while I have Azreal by my side." _He _then stepped aside as Azrael finally walked out of the shadows, revealing itself to the ever more shocked and amazed Ash and Misty.

What stood before them, partially the now crippled Marauder, was a seven foot tall, grey colored humanoid Pokémon with huge hands that resembled Mewtwo's. Its beady blue eyes, with no pupils whatsoever, looked like very thin diamond-shaped blades, pointing upwards. its head looked glued right into where a neck should've been. It had no mouth and no ears, but had a very muscular body and feet that had three claw-like toes each. On its back were two folded up giant wings, five times bigger than its body, that if opened looked just like wings of a dragon. All in all, it looked like a monster you would see in a Pokémon horror movie. It was that hideous.

_Mew help us all, _Misty thought as she stared in horror at the thing.

* * *

Brock and the others continued their crawling through the vents when suddenly the floor gave out, causing the group to free fall down a gigantic, bottomless pit, screaming as they all fell. Looking down, they noticed a few wires that went across from the far side of the wall opposite to them to the other wall. "EVERYONE, TRY TO GRAB ONE OF THE WIRES!" Brock yelled. Everyone managed to grab something, whether it was a wire or someone's foot or hand.

"PLEASE FIND SOMEWAY OUT OF HERE! THIS CAN'T BE HOW JAMES AND JESSIE DIE!" James screamed as he looked down at the endless void and panicked.

Dawn managed to grab a wire but then noticed an opening not far from where she hung. Curious she pulled herself by the hand to make her way over to it. "GUYS! I THIINK I FOUND AN OPENING! MAYBE ITS OUR WAY OUT!"

However, when she got close enough to where she could see clearly what was on the other side of the opening, her eyes widened as she watched in horror of what was taking place and who was present there in that room above.

* * *

Azrael stood right above Marauder like a lion above its prey about to dig its teeth into it. "Now Marauder," _he _said. "I will admit that you have served me well. However, I no longer need your services so now, you are useless to me. Azrael, dispose of him quickly."

"WAIT!" Marauder cried in panic and fear of what it was about to do to him. "C-CAN'T WE TALK THIS THROUGH?! I MEAN, I HAVE BEEN A GREAT SERVICE TO TEAM ROCKET FOR YEARS! CAN'T YOU- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Marauder never got to finish as Azrael had just preformed the most deadliest Hyper Beam ever created in history with its hands. The Hyper Beam struck Marauder , causing him to scream the most agonizing scream ever, as if he was experiencing hell itself. Because that was how it felt. Slowly and painfully, Marauder completely took the impact of the attack head on till he suddenly couldn't take it anymore and blew up.

Ash and Misty had shielded their eyes through the whole thing, with Misty unconsciously clinging to Ash's shirt. When the Hyper Beam died down, she realized what she was holding onto and harshly pushed him away, giving him a hurt glare. Ash simply just looked away sadly, but was stunned when he saw all that was left of the Marauder: a broken helmet. Misty noticed it too and then glared angrily at _him. _"YOU MONSTER!" she yelled angrily at _him._ "JUST WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!"

The villain smirked. "You want to know who I am? Why don't you ask Ash?"

* * *

"NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Pikachu screamed in pain as Dawn's Buneary, whom he had had a secret crush for quite sometime, went down with the rest of her group, beaten and drained of her powers. He was now the last Pokémon on his side left. He tried to run to her side but was suddenly grabbed by a grunt and thrown at a brick wall. Then just as the injured mouse tried to get up, the same grunt grabbed him and held him by his little neck towards the wall, chocking the poor little guy. Then the grunt pulled out a pistol and placed it between Pikachu's eyes.

"Adios, rodent," the grunt snickered as he readied the gun. Pikachu closed his eyes, waiting for him to pull the trigger. His friends were all down and defeated. His master and his human friends no where close, with no idea what was going on. There was nothing left but to give up.

_I'm so sorry, Ash. But this is the end. Thank you for all the memories._

* * *

Dawn was shocked to see the Marauder's gruesome death but that was nothing compared to when she took a good look at the mysterious figure in the shadows. Looking closer, as close as she could look, she realized _he _looked disturbingly familiar. Then, like a ton of bricks, she finally recognized _him. _Her eyes widened with tears as she realized who it was and how it would affect everything. _NO! NO, IT-IT CAN'T BE HIM! IT CAN'T! _she thought.

Suddenly all the wires holding the group up gave out from having too much weight on them, causing the entire group to scream and fall to their doom.

* * *

"What the heck are you talking about?!" Ash asked, confused and angry. "How would I know you?! I can barely see you!"

"Oh so you can't even recognize your old rival, Ketchum?"

"Wait... what?"

Ash and Misty watched in suspense as _he _finally walked out of the shadows revealing his purple hair and his murderous face. Ash's jaw dropped as he stepped back, not believing what he was seeing. The new leader of Team Rocket was none other than...

**"PAUL?!"**

* * *

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTT?! Didn't see that coming, did ya? I probably just caused the world to explode with this chapter. That's right, Paul, Ash's rival from the Sinnoh days and Dawn's boyfriend, is the villain here. (Yes, this means also that I don't ship Ikarshipping) Also, the thing I had to change was him being Giovanni's son, due to me finding out that was used in a different story form another author. But I like that I did this instead. Well, now we have to wait to see what Paul has planned, what becomes of the Pokémon and Brock and the gang. But for now, continue reviewing, my brothers and sisters. Let me know what you thought of Paul being the secret villain. Well, I gotta go. See ya.


	16. Evil is Revealed

Well here's chapter 16. We're almost done, folks. I can feel it. Last chapter, I revealed the villain to be Paul, Ash's rival from Sinnoh. Now we fine out why he used Dawn, created Azrael, drained all the Pokémon's powers, and kidnapped Misty. So, let's get reading! And review!

Btw, next week is Pokeshipping week, so stay tuned for a Pokeshipping one-shot then. The one-shot will be unrelated to this story and is more of a AU to the canon series. Details are below.

Hey! Guess what, guys? I STILL don't own Pokémon! How crazy is that?

* * *

**Chapter 16: Evil is Revealed**

_Why? Why did that day ever have to happen? It was by far the worst day of my life. Nothing could even come close. (sigh) But I guess I really should've seen it coming. We had just entered the Viridian City Pokemon Center when I received... THAT call from my... s-stupid sisters telling me that they just won a stupid year long world cruise, meaning it was now me who had to go back home to Cerulean and take care of the stupid gym while they were gone. Which meant I had to leave so much behind just to keep our stupid gym up: my dreams, my life on the road, and my friends, Brock and Pikachu. But the worst part of it was, I was leaving Ash, my best friend, my partner, the only boy I could ever love. Then to make matters worst, as if it couldn't get any worst, the Center's Nurse Joy came in with my old bike, fixed up and good as new. But I didn't want my bike back. I didn't even want to go back home to Cerulean. It wasn't even my true home anymore. Well, you could imagine how hurt I was when Ash sounded happy that this was the end of the road for me, as if it meant nothing to him that we now had to split up. But after an encounter with this one pathetic trio of Pokemon trainers and my very last time blasting Team Rocket off, I realized the truth: he really didn't want me to leave, he was only trying, yet failing miserably, to make me feel better. I figured it was now or never to tell him I was in love with him, but as we walked to the crossroad where we would split, I once again chickened out, coming up with this lame substitute "Just remember to always do your best." However, Ash managed to cheer me up just a little bit by telling me that he believed that it was destiny for us to meet and become not just friends, but best friends. It made me feel so warm inside despite my saddness. As it turned out, Brock was leaving for home as well to deal with some family business back in Pewter City. So when we finally made it to the three way crossroads (cruelly ironic, huh?) and after a bittersweet goodbye and promise that we would see each other again in the future, the original trio got ready to split up. But before Brock and I left, we gave Ash some gifts: Brock gave him some of his homemade food, with utensils, and I gave him a pink handkerchief, a symbol of my love for him (its an eastern ritual my family has followed for generations). Then we parted ways: Brock on his way to Pewter, Ash to Pallet, and me on my bike to Cerulean. It pained me too see Ash cry as we parted ways. I knew this wasn't how he wanted it to end. None of us wanted it this way. And I could've sworn hearing him yell as he ran the opposite direction I was going "THANK YOU GUYS FOR EVERTHING! I'LL MISS YOU!" And yet, I couldn't help but smile through my painful tears on my way to the gym, for I now knew how Ash felt about me. I was someone special to him and I really and truly was his best friend, maybe even something more. But one thing was certain above all else. I was going to miss him more than anything or anyone else in the whole world. With all my heart._

Meanwhile,...

Brock, Gary, Tracey, May, Max, Dawn, Jessie, and James continued falling on their continuous trail down to their doom. There wasn't a thing close to any of them to grab on and save their lives. All hope was lost and there was nothing left to do but for them to accept their fate. That is, until a bunch of mechanical arms came out of nowhere, each of which grabbed one of the humans and thus saving them from their deaths. The group stopped their screaming and looked up to what had just saved them.

And the person, or in actuality_ persons, _was not someone they had expected to see again, especially so soon.

"SERENA!" cheered May and Dawn as they waved to the girl who was standing on top of what looked like a giant flying robotic Yveital, a large avian-like Legendary Pokémon, that had just saved their lives.

"Hey guys," Serena smiled at her two new friends. "It's a good thing a decided to drop by."

"I'll say," breathed Max.

"But where did you get the... robot... thingy... here?" Brock asked.

"Why my good man, that would happen to my latest invention," another voice, this time a male voice, spoke up. At that moment, the blonde-headed inventor stepped out of the robot's cockpit, which was on the head, and stood right beside Serena. "I guess it's a good thing we didn't get back to Kalos right away or we would've been too late to save you guys."

"CLEMONT!" Brock and the guys cheered.

"Hey, don't forget about me!" another voice, this time a younger female voice, yelled and out walked out of the cockpit a young blonde girl with a side ponytail.

"BONNIE!' cried a startled Clemont at his little sister. "I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO STAY BACK AT THE HOTEL!"

"I know, but its so boring over there. I was ready to go on another adventure!"

IT'S TOO DANGEROUS FOR YOU TO BE HERE, BON-" Bonnie, however, was not listening to her brother's ranting and raving on as she stared in awe at the abyss below here.

"Wow! I've never seen a bottomless pit in a secret evil lair before. I wonder how far down it goes?" Curious, she aimed her mouth right above the abyss and spat some saliva down the bottomless hole and watched it go down. "One Mississippi. Two Mississippi. Three Mississippi. Four Mississippi. Five-"

That's enough, sis," Clemont sighed as he pulled her away from the side of the robot. Everyone else sweatdropped.

"Um, not to sound impatient or anything," Gary finally said after the awkward sibling moment, "but is it possible you could let us up there now, please?"

"Oh right, sorry," Serena apologized for her inventor friend and used a remote to reel the mechanical arms back to the Yveital robot and into a door on the side, letting everyone in and saving them in the process.

"LAND! OH HOW I'VE MISSED YOU!" Jessie cried cheerfully, kissing the floor of the robot.

"Um, yeah..." Gary said with a sweatdrop.

"Thanks for saving us, guys," Tracey said, turning to Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie.

"Our pleasure," Clemont said, nodding.

Just then Serena noticed in shock that someone, whom she still hadn't gotten over, was missing. "Where's Ash?!" she gasped. "Was he with you guys?! Did he already fall to his death?! A-Are we too late?!" Her eyes were just starting to water when she felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"No need to worry, Serena," Dawn said with a sad smile, still feeling pain in her heart from her discovery. "Ash wasn't with us when we fell into this abyss."

"Oh," Serena sighed with relief. But then her smile turned into a frown. "H-Has he found Misty yet?"

Dawn and May looked at each other sadly. Serena now knew Ash liked Misty and not her and it was still painful for her to think about. So telling her the truth, wouldn't help much, even though none of them knew how Misty responded being rescued by Ash. Hesitated at first, Dawn looked back at Serena and simply said, "... Yes."

"I see," Serena said, bowing her head. "Do you know if they're safe?"

"Well," Brock said, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. "Not exactly."

* * *

"Adios, rodent," the grunt snickered as he readied the gun. Pikachu closed his eyes, waiting for him to pull the trigger. His friends were all down and defeated. His master and his human friends no where close, with no idea what was going on. There was nothing left but to give up.

_I'm so sorry, Ash. But this is the end. Thank you for all the memories._

But Pikachu never did feel the effects of the trigger pulling, as he felt it fly off his face. He opened his eyes in confusion and saw the gun fly to the other side of the room. "HEY! WHAT THE-" the grunt yelled angrily, but he was interrupted and knockout by a massive Night Slash. Pikachu leaped out of the grunt's hand just in time and smiled when he saw one of his newer friends.

"Greninja!" he cheered. "Boy am I glad to see you!"

"Don't forget about us!" said another voice. Just then Clemont's Chespin, a bipedal, mammalian Pokémon, jump right from behind Serena's Greninja, followed by Serena's Fennekin, Pancham, Absol, Jolteon, Delphox, Chesnaught, Clemont's Bunnelby, Luxio, and Bonnie's Dedenne.

"Surprised to see us, PikaPal?" the quadruped, fox-like Fennekin asked with a smile.

"Boy, am I. How did you guys get here?" asked the little electric mouse.

Neither of the Pokémon got the chance to answer as the other grunts, who just now noticed the reinforcements so to speak, gathered around them.

"No time to explain," Chespin said as he and the rest of the remaining Pokémon growled at the grunts. "Its time to show these goons what the Pokémon from Kalos are made of!"

* * *

"WHAT?!" Serena screamed right after Dawn told her of Ash and Misty's current predicament. "Do you know if he- I mean if they are ok?!"

"It's ok, Serena, its ok. They looked fine when I saw them."

"Wait a minute, Dawn," Brock interrupted. "When did you see Ash and Misty?"

"Remember the opening I found after we fell?" Brock nodded. "Well, I saw them in some creepy office. And they looked fine, though Misty looked like she had just finished crying. Also,... they weren't the only ones in the room." Dawn bowed her head as she thought of the boy who had just broken her heart.

"Well, who else was in the room with them?" Clemont asked, not noticing her change in attitude as he was busy steering his robotic Yveital out of the abyss and back where they came from, through a secret tunnel.

At that moment, Dawn finally fell on her knees and broke down in tears. This startled the group and they all huddled around her to see what was wrong. Even Jessie and James were concern, though they refused to admit it. "Dawn, what is it?" asked May, worriedly.

Dawn sniffed and looked up at her friend. She rubbed her eyes and said, "the Team Rocket leader was with them."

"Giovanni?" asked James, confused.

"N-No."

"Wait, there is another leader to our organization? How come no nobody told me?!" Jessie asked, annoyed that she and James were left in the dark from this news.

"But if it wasn't Giovanni, then... then who was it?" Brock asked Dawn comfortingly.

Dawn looked at everyone as they showed their concern for her. It made her feel special but it didn't change her heartbreak. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and then told them.

"It's Paul."

* * *

Paul scoffed. "It sure took you long enough to figure out it was me this whole time."

Ash growled as he clutched his fists so hard they almost bled. "How the heck was I supposed to know that the boyfriend to one of my closest female friends would be a double-crossing psychopath?!"

"It should have been clear to you on account that no one on this forsaken planet hates you more than I do. I simply wanted to make you suffer and prove that I am the more powerful trainer here."

"Wait wait wait, I'm comfused here," Misty butted in, never ever liked being left out in the dark of things. "How do you two know each other?"

"What?" Paul scowled at the red head. "Your boyfriend here never told you about me, his arch rival turned 'friend' from Sinnoh?"

Misty's temper rose at the use of the B-word. "He's NOT my boyfriend!" She lowered her voice as she turned away from both boys. "He's not even my friend."

Paul smirked at Ash. "I guess we can take that as a no then, right Ash?" Ash growled in response. "It's a pity too. You two look kind of cute together. Not."

"What is this all about, Paul?!" Ash yelled angrily. He was getting sick and tired of being reminded of his failed relationship with Misty and now he just wanted some answers. "What have I done to make you hate me so much?! Just because I had beaten you at the Sinnoh League?! Is that why?! And why all this deception with dating Dawn and all?! And where does Misty here have to do with any of this?!"

Paul glared swords into Ash, though they seemed to have no effect on him as he just glared right back at him. "You beating me back at Sinnoh was a fluke, a mistake easily made. In the end, you still were no where near my league."

"You 're right. I'm way beyond your league."

"You're a weak and pathetic trainer. How do you suppress me?"

"Because I know how to treat my Pokémon. I don't abuse them or leave them for dead like you did to Chimchar!" Ash heard Misty gasped when she heard about what almost happened to the little flame monkey starter. "You never understood what it meant being a real Pokémon trainer and you never will! I've gone sick and tired of trying to explain to you, you sick monster!" Ash took a deep breath before continuing. "But why Dawn?! What possessed you to toy with the emotions of an innocent girl like her?!"

Ash was pretty enraged at what Paul did to Dawn. She was always like a younger sister to him and any creep like Paul who had the stupidity to hurt her physically or emotionally was going to pay for it. BIG TIME. That's how it was with Ash Ketchum, always looking out for his friends, the people he cared for.

"I had to use her. I had to make it looked like I had became your friend and to do that I had to used a close friend of yours. I couldn't use your older friend with the hormonal issues, so I used the next best thing, your stupid blue haired friend. From then on, my plan was easy. While you guys believed I was a great boyfriend to Dawn, I was secretly planning to infiltrate Team Rocket in order to plan my revenge on you for humiliating me in Sinnoh and show the world who the strongest trainer really is. The idiots here were stupid enough to believe the story that I was the long lost son of their leader Giovanni. I used that to my advantage and had Team Rocket's leading scientists to create for me the worlds' most powerful man-made Pokémon ever. But in order to do that I needed powers from every type of Pokémon from all the regions and instead of going through all the trouble to simply capture or steal Pokémon to do tests, I ordered these fools to create a weapon that could drain and endure the powers and strength of each of the gym Pokémon from each region. The process of course seriously injures the Pokémon in question, sometimes kills them, but sacrifices must be made."

Misty's eyes widened as she gasped. She placed her hand over her mouth as she saw in her head the lifeless bodies of her beloved water Pokémon on the floor somewhere, beaten and wounded severely. "No," she whimpered. She couldn't help but let the tears fall from her eyes as she imagined them dead, with not being able to save them. Ash could clearly see the pain in her eyes and he felt terrible for her. He wanted to do anything to comfort her. He wanted to hug her and hold her tight, letting her shed her tears on his shoulder as he would try to comfort her with his words of love. But alas, he couldn't, because of the damage he had done. She would simply just shove him away, telling him he had done enough pain to her. Therefore all he could do was watch her cry and it killed him inside to do so.

He then turned his attention back at Paul, who had muttered a "Pathetic" at the sight of Misty crying. This infuriated Ash even more so. This guy was now way more heartless than Ash remembered and he wasn't afraid to show it either.

* * *

"Well, that's the last of them," said a stronger and restored Piplup over a pile of unconscious Rocket grunts and their Pokémon.

"Haven't had that much fun in a long time," snickered Charizard.

"I's gotta say, that stuff you gave us woiks purr-fectly, Chespin," Meowth complemented.

"No problem," Chespin smiled at the scratch Pokémon. "My master Clemont made it till it was perfected."

"Well, we can thank him later," Pikachu said to the Pokémon, the reinforcements and the newly restored. "Right now, our priority is to find Ash and Misty from whatever danger they have gotten into."

"Well then what are we doing just standing around her?," Manoswine smirked.

"Right," Blaziken said. "Let's GO!"

"WOBBUFFET!" And with that, all the Pokémon ran out of the hallway and out towards their destination.

* * *

"Alright, now does everyone understand the plan to rescue Ash and Misty?" Brock asked his friends as Clemont fired up the engines of his flying, robotic Yveital.

"You bet," everyone responded.

"Tracey, were you able to get what you needed to get from the vid-transporter?"

"Sure did," Tracey smiled as he lifted up the bag of the stuff he received so everyone could see it.

"Alright." Brock then turned his attention back towards Clemont. "The robot ready, Clemont?"

Suddenly the engine roared loudly, bringing a smile of success to Clemont's face. "Ready for flight, Brock!"

"Alright, then. Let's MOVE!" And with that, the robotic Yveital flew out of the pit and out towards their destination.

* * *

"So, I'm going to assume that the reason the Gyms were the targets were because they are supposed to have pretty strong Pokémon, am I right Paul?!" he growled angrily at his old rival.

Paul was surprised, though he didn't show it, that Ash Ketchum, the Ash Ketchum who was supposed to be denser than the shell of a Blastoise, was able to quickly put the pieces together on that part of his plot. Even Misty lowered her hands from her face slowly as she brought her surprised yet still teary eyes on her ex-best friend. However, as soon as Paul was surprised, he shook it off. "You're smarter than you look, Ketchum," Paul said.

"You have no idea," Ash muttered under his breath so Paul wouldn't hear him. Misty, however, did. "But kidnapping and torturing Misty?! What the heck was that about?!" He then said loudly with clutched fists.

Paul smirked. "Isn't it obvious? Not only was this about getting stronger than you, it was about getting rid of you, permanently. So I used the one person who meant the most to you as live bait to lure you in." Misty gasped as she was greatly taken back by this. "That was another thing useful while I was with Dawn. She told me all I wanted to know about you without her knowing why I wanted the information." Ash growled hearing this. Misty just stayed stunned. _Do-do I actually... mean something to him? _she thought with what little hope she had left. . _Could it be...? _She didn't get to finish her train of thought as Paul continued speaking. "As just as I thought, you let your feelings for this girl blind you from seeing this as a trap. But then again, you always did let whatever you had a passion for blind you from the obvious." Then he took his gaze at Misty, his face now full with disgust. Though I fail to see what's so special about such a pathetic, weak, and useless creature like this is."

"WHY YOU SON OF A GROWLITHE!" screamed Ash, scaring Misty. In all the years she had know him, he never had gotten so mad like this before. "THAT'S THE LAST STRAW!" He then raised his right fist and swung it towards Paul's face. Paul remained still, not flinching or anything. In the end, he didn't need to, because just as Ash's fist was just a centimeter away from making contact with Paul's face, he was suddenly stopped by an invisible force. It didn't take long for Ash to realize he was now being lifted in the air by Azrael's power psychic ability. Then before he knew it, Ash was being thrown by Azrael's psychic powers all around the room, causing him to harshly hit the walls and cabinets he made contact with. Back and forth he was thrown like a rag doll being greatly abused.

"NO! STOP!" Misty screamed pleadingly, who found herself surprisingly concern for ex-best friend. "PLEASE STOP! YOU'RE HURTING HIM!" She could already see the blood from him flying all over the place as he was continuously being thrown around and it brought tears to her eyes to see him in such pain, though she didn't know why exactly she suddenly cared.

Finally after a few more throws, Ash was finally released harshly on to the wall, beaten, badly wounded, and half dead. "ASH!" Misty cried as she quickly rushed over to his frail body and kneeled over him, now holding him in her lap. She didn't know why she was feeling remorse for the guy she promised herself she would never forgive or love again, but she just couldn't ever stand the sight of him hurt. She never could and she never will. She took his beaten up face carefully into the palms of her soft hands and choked back a sob. His eyes were now half shut and his nose and bottom lip were as bloody as ever. "ASH! SPEAK TO ME! SAY ANYTHING! PLEASE!" she pleaded, tears still forming down her cheeks.

"..M-M...ist..y..." he managed to mutter.

"Stay with me, Ash! It's going to be alright!"

"Is it now?" Paul scoffed sarcastically. "I beg to differ."

Misty, still hugging the frail body of Ash, turned around to glare the darkest, most frightening glare she ever gave in her life. "HOW COULD YOU?!" she screamed. "ALL THIS JUST BECAUSE HE BEATED YOU IN A LEAGUE BATTLE?! WHAT KIND OF MONSTER ARE YOU?!"

Paul smirked as he pushed a button on his desk. Suddenly, the entire office room shook as if it was in an earthquake. Misty held onto Ash tightly, protecting him from harm. Soon she felt the room moving upwards at an unbelievable speed. She braced herself and closed her eyes till she felt the room come to a halt. She opened her eyes again to find herself no long in what looked like in an office but what was now on top of a volcano.

"I'm the monster that rules the world with the world's most powerful Pokémon by my side. And there is nothing you, your boyfriend, or anyone can do to stop me."

Misty now watched in horror as Azreal now started powering up the same Hyper Beam attack that had killed the Marauder (and the Rocket Gals) aimed right at her and Ash. She hugged Ash and squeezed her eyes shut, waiting to die. _Well, this is the end. Goodbye, Ash. If only we were still..._

_"_CCCHHHHHHUUUUUUU!"

"What?!" yelled Paul angrily.

"What?!" yelled Misty surprised, opening her eyes to see Azrael looking around for the cause to the lightning bolt that struck him. It didn't caused any damage but it stopped him from the Hyper Beam he was just about to unleashed. Suddenly, an Iron Tail attacked the monster from behind. Azrael quickly turned around as he, Paul, and Misty came face to face with a massive army of Pokémon, all in battle ready stance. Paul and Azrael growled in anger while Misty smiled with relief.

Standing before them was a Charizard, Heracross, Krookodile, Glalie, Snorlax, Steelix, Geodude, Crobat, Forretress, Croagunk, Sudowoodo, Blaziken, Venusaur, Glaceon, Munchlax, Beautifly, Wartortle, Piplup, Mamoswine, Togekiss, Quilava, Pachirisu, Buneary, Blastoise, Umbreon, Electivire, Magmar, Golem, Sxizor, Venonat, Marill, Scyther, Dodrio, Beedrill, Gyarados, Chespin, Greninja, Fennekin, Pancham, Absol, Jolteon, Delphox, Chesnaught, Bunnelby, Luxio, Dedenne, Meowth, Wobbuffet, Mime Jr., Weezing, Arbok, a dozen Koffing and Ekens each, two Victreebel, Pumpkaboo, Inkay, Seviper, Yanmega, Carnivine, Cacnea, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Gible, Kingler, Infernape, and Tauros. Then out of the volcano behind them emerged what looked like a robotic-looking Yveital. On the top of the robot stood Brock, Gary, Tracey (who was holding a bag with something in it), Jessie, James, May, Max, Dawn, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie, all of which were also in battle mode stance. All of the Pokémon and humans in question were glaring down at Paul and Azrael, silently challenging them to an all-our war for their friends and the world. Then the furious yellow mouse standing in the very front, needing to settle a score with who had hurt his Pikapi and Pikachupi, spoke up, sending angry sparks at the villains in front of him.

"Pika Pikachu, Kachu Ka." (Alright bub, let's dance.)

* * *

Next chapter: The Final Battle! Don't let the numbers fool you though. Remember that Azrael is fuelled by the powers of all the Pokémon from all the gyms in the whole Pokémon World. So even with an army, its gonna be hard to stop him. So stay tune to see what happens next! Meanwhile, here's the premise of next week's one-shot, _The Argument That Started it All. _The plot is Ash and Misty have a fight, which is no surprise there what so ever. But what happens when in the middle of the argument, Misty accidently blurts out her feelings for the boy? Find out next week and don't forget to review that story and this. Well, that's it for me. See y'all later.


	17. The Final Battle

Chapter 17 is here, guys! Aren't you excited?! Of course you are! You guys have been great staying with me through this story! And now we are almost done. After this chapter, there should be at least two more left. But until then, get ready to read the final battle between Ash and Co. versus Paul, Azrael and Team Rocket. (minus the trio) And don't forget to review and tell me what you thought because I worked hard and long hours on this one and I want your guys' feedback on how I did. Now enjoy chapter 17.

And I'm pretty sure that Pokémon still doesn't belong to me... yet!

* * *

**Chapter 17: The Final Battle**

_After I got back to the gym, lots of interesting things and events took place: I tamed a Gyarados, cheated death in the process, rejected a few dates from some guys, cross-dressed as a boy, played matchmaker for a couple of Luvsic, went exploring in the Cerulean Cave, etc. They were some fun and somewhat adventurous times I guess. And yet, it was never the same because… HE wasn't there. They were never even in comparison to all my adventures with Ash put together. Tracey Sketchit came over once in a while running errands for Professor Oak and even gave me some company whenever he came around which I was grateful for. In short, he became my big brother, someone I could talk to whenever I needed it. But he still wasn't HIM. Soon after a whole year, my sisters finally came back to Cerulean City, but sadly I was still stuck at the gym. Why was that? Because I knew how my sisters "took care" of the gym and it suffered because of that. I felt that it was now my duty to keep the gym from ever being like that again and getting shut down. Thing was, I didn't want to stay and be the Gym Leader. I wanted to go to Hoenn and travel with Ash again. It wasn't even a month or so since I left him that Tracey told me that Brock had fixed things in Pewter City was back on the road with Ash again, along with his new partners May and Max Maple. How I envied them! But now as an official Gym Leader, I couldn't leave even though I so badly wanted to! I was able to visit them in Hoenn once for the Togepi Festival, but that ended bittersweetly as my baby Togepi evolved into a Togetic and stayed behind to protect the Togepi paradise on the Mirage Kingdom. I was able to meet Ash at his house when he returned from Hoenn and I traveled with him again till we were in Cerulean as he went through the Battle Frontier in Kanto. And then we met again on the Mirage Island, which was our last big adventure together. But it was never the same. I wanted to be with him all the time. I was, after all, still in love with him and I missed him more than anything. Well, one day, my sisters took pity on me and said they were finally willing to take full responsibility for the gym, meaning I was finally free to go and travel with him again. I was so happy and it was perfect timing too! Ash was going to leave for a newer region called Sinnoh three days after they had told me! I couldn't wait to tell him the news! And as an added bonus, I had finally decided to tell him how I had always felt about him. On the day before he left for Sinnoh, we met for a picnic on a hill in Pallet Town so I could tell him the news!... B-But I never did get the chance to tell him either of what I wanted to say. L-Let's just say that certain t-things were said and..._

_Ash and I... are no longer friends anymore... (cries)_

"Pika Pikachu, Kachu Ka." (Alright bub, let's dance.)

"If it's a fight you want..."

"THIS ISN'T A FIGHT!" Dawn screamed at her now ex-boyfriend. "THIS IS WAR!"

Paul scoffed and then glared at the group. "So be it. AZRAEL! STAND BY FOR BATTLE!"

"PIIKKAAAAA!" (CHHAARRGGEE!)

And at that order, all the Pokémon charged from both sides ran towards each other and the battle began. Flamethrowers, Hyper Beams, Vinewips, Thunderbolts, and other attacks were flying in all different directions as the battle raged on. Many Pokémon were already going down, but for some reason due to a certain serum given by Clemont, some of the Pokémon stubbornly got right back up.

"MISTY!" Misty looked up from where she was still holding on to Ash to see Tracey calling her from the robot. He threw the bag he was holding in her direction and yelled, "CATCH!" Then the robot flew over to where the fight took place.

Quickly, Misty grabbed the bag before it crashed on the ground and what she saw inside it made her heart sore: all of her Pokéballs, all intact. She smiled in relief, grabbed the Pokéballs, enlarged them and then tossed them out towards the battlefield yelling, "Misty calls EVERYONE!" At that moment, all of her Pokéballs released the Pokémon inside, unleashing Staru, Starme, Horsea, Corsola, Politoed, Marill, and Psyduck, all looking stronger and ready for battle as if they never were attacked back at the gym. Even Psyduck looked like he knew what was going on... a little bit. She was so overjoyed that her Pokémon were alive and well, but now was not the time to celebrate. "Everyone," she yelled to her Pokémon who listened carefully for their orders, "join Gyarados and the others on the battlefield and take down that monster!" All of her Pokémon nodded determinedly in response, except the dopy Psyduck, and ran to join their friends on the battlefield. (Politoed had to drag Psyduck of course)

"Psy?"

Misty nodded as she saw her Pokémon join the fight, but then was taken back when she saw Paul at a distance watching the battle... and Ash Ketchum limping weakly and stubbornly walking towards Paul despite his sheering pain. "ASH!" she screamed at him, hoping he would hear her. "WHAT YOU DOING?! YOU'RE BADLY INJURED! GET YOUR SORRY BUTT BACK OVER HERE RIGHT NOW!" No response. "ASH!"

Misty quickly turned around as she heard a might roar from Azrael. All thoughts about Ash were temporary forgotten as she watched in horror as two giant 12-feet long dragon-like wings from his wings opened wide and in the process blew all the opposing Pokémon back to the other side of the battlefield with a mighty and powerful Gust attack. Azrael then took flight and readied a massive Hyper Beam towards the Pokémon. He fired it strait at them, only for it to be deflected by Hyper Beams from Charizard, Snorlax, and Gyarados just in the nick of time. Misty sighed a breath of relief but then turned around to see a couple of grunts walking towards her. Misty turned around fully and glared at them. "Don't think just because you kidnapped me last week means that I'm just some weak little girl," she said as she pulled out her trusty mallet of doom out from no where. "Cause you will pay for putting me through that!"

* * *

Ash had heard Misty yelling at him perfectly as it turned out. However, he had to deal with Paul once and for all, despite his wounds and broken bones. He finally made it ten feet right behind Paul. He panted a few times before finally yelling "PAUL!" Paul turned around and stared down his nemesis while Ash glared right back. "YOU AND ME HAVE A SCORE TO SETTLE! SO LET'S END THIS ONCE AND FOR ALL! NO POKÉMON! JUST YOU AND ME!" He yelled, holding his fists up, challenging him to a fist fight. Ash normally never would participate in a fist fight, but Paul had harmed people he cared about, both physically and emotionally. He was willing to make an exception.

Paul fully faced him and then responded in his dark, cold voice he had always had. "Your funeral."

Paul then ran up to Ash and sent a series of fast paced punches flying at his face. Ash managed to dodge several of them but got battered with the rest. He however struck back with several punches of his own, some of which Paul dodged, and a massive flying kick that sent Paul flying a few feet back. However, Paul got up easily, wiped the blood from his nose and glared back at Ash. "Is that all you got?"

Ash smirked as he got back in fight mode. "You haven't seen anything yet." He then aimed a punch towards Paul's face only for it to be dodged by Paul grabbing his fist. Ash gasped at his quick reflex but didn't get a chance to retaliate as Paul then used his hand to twist Ash's arm, cause Ash to wince in pain. Ash however took the opportunity to use his foot to trip Paul and thus causing Paul to release him. Ash held it to make sure it wasn't in totally bad shape and then turned back to his opponent just as he was getting up, with scratches already on his face.

"Not bad. I guess attempting to train Pokémon did something for you. However it will do little to stop me. It's too late for you to do anything to save the ones you love."

"We shall see, Paul." He then ran over to attempt a kick in the face, but Paul managed to dodge and kick him in the side, sending him flying into a rock. Ash grunted in pain as he held his side, but his determination and stubbornness kept him from staying down.

"You just don't know when to quit, do you?" Paul then aimed for another punch but was surprised when Ash elbowed him in the jaw and then punch him towards his own rock to crash into.

"Shut up and fight!"

* * *

Meanwhile during the battle, Paul had apparently called his strongest men with their Pokémon to aid him in the battle. Seeing that they all still believed he was their true leader's son, they obliged without question. However, they didn't think about there being any friends of Ash Ketchum they would have to deal with as Brock and the gang, minus Clemont, Bonnie, Max, Jessie and James whom were all still in the robot, stood in a perfect wall-like unison blocking the many grunts from the battlefield.

"OUT OF OUR WAY, TWERPS!" One grunt yelled at them.

Brock smirked. Ash's stubborn personally must have rubbed off on his friends because not a single one of them budged. "Not gonna happen."

Suddenly, the giant robotic Yveital flew right over their heads, with Clemont steering it and Bonnie, Max, Jessie, and James controlling each of the mechanical claws on the wings. "I know we're helping you guys right now," Jessie exclaimed, "but don't expect a every day occurrence of this."

"We're are only helping you guys out to get these guys back for doing things behind our boss's back in his name," James added.

"Also cause no one can call themselves the Main Twerp's arch enemies except us!"

"Whatever, guys," Clemont yelled back. "Just get ready to launch the claws on my mark. You too, Max and Bonnie."

"Got it!" they replied.

"IF YOU WON'T GET OUT OF OUR WAY," the grunt yelled, pulling out his Pokéball at the same time the other grunts did, "THEN WE WILL MAKE YOU!"

"NOW!" At Clemont's order, Max, Bonnie, Jessie and James activated the mechanical claws from the wings and instantly grabbed each and every Pokéball from the grunts and dumped them into a cage inside the robot.

"Ah," Jessie sighed. "It feels good to steal without anyone getting in the way."

"Maybe we should team up with the Twerp more often," James added.

"LESS TALKING MORE DOING!" Max yelled.

"Ok! Ok!" Jessie yelled back. And in a matter of seconds, every Pokéball from the grunts were stuffed safely in the cage of the robot.

Needless to say, the grunts were completely taken off guard as their Pokéballs get swiped from under their noses. "What the...," the grunt muttered.

"Now," May smirked evilly at the now fearful grunts, "just how were you planning on getting us out of your way?"

* * *

Meanwhile with the Pokémon, Azrael sored down at high speed towards the Pokémon, aiming perfectly to strike a perfectly lethal Aerial Ace. "Everyone get ready!" Pikachu yelled to the others. They all stood beside or right behind the little electric mouse, all waiting for the right moment to strike. They waited till Azrael was just six feet from them when Pikachu instantly yelled, "NOW!"

Suddenly, all of the Water Pokémon unleashed a massive mixture of Waterfall and Hydro Pump directly at the incoming Pokémon. The attack stopped him from his Aerial Ace attack, but only for Azrael to block the attack with both hands, getting him only a tad bit drench. In return, Azrael gave them a powerful Earthquake attack, trapping the helpless water Pokémon into massive holes in the ground,.

Azrael was then attacked by a barrage of Solar Beams from all the grass Pokémon. Azrael however was able to dodge the incoming attacks with Steel Wing therefore not taking any damage. He then unleash a massive Fire Storm attack right back at them. Some of the grass type Pokémon were able to escape but the rest of them took the attack head on and were instantly knocked out.

The fire types tried next. They all grouped together around the monstrous Pokémon and unleashed a massive mixture of Flamethrower, Hyper Beam, and Heatwave. Unfortunately just like with the other attacks, Azrael was able to block them with a huge Hydro Pump that miraculously cancelled out each and every fire attack, in the process hitting the fire types with the same water attack.

* * *

Ash and Paul continued throwing punches and kicks at each other, both dodging or getting hit by their opponent. Both had gained several cuts and bruises and were even bleeding in some places. However, neither of them were willing give up. The way they were going, it looked liked the fight was never going to end till one of them died.

Ash moved towards Paul for another punch but was cut off by a punch to the stomach then one to the chin. Ash spun backwards in pain but was able to get a hold of himself to block the next barrage of attempted blows. Then with Paul off guard, Ash managed to punch Paul right in the face twice and then kicked him in the stomach.

"Give up, Paul!" Ash yelled angrily at him, as he took a second to breath. "You'll never win!"

Paul scoffed as he also took a breather. "Fool. I already have won."

Ash was confused till he heard Pokémon crying in pain. He turned around and watched in shock as Azrael was starting to take down Pokémon one by one and though some managed to stand back up, many stayed on the ground badly beaten and unconscious. **(Author's Notes: I don't want to kill any of the Pokémon) **Ash was in such a state of shock from this that he didn't see Paul right behind him with both fits together above his head till it was too late. The next thing Ash knew he was on the ground with a huge wound on his head. He winced and looked back up at Paul who grabbed him by the shirt collar.

"Did you ever get the note I left at your girlfriend's gym?" he asked just as he punched Ash, sending him flying backwards. Ash tried getting back up, but if you were to look at him you would know he didn't have much left in him. Paul then grabbed him again. "I think its about time I make good of what it said. You're _next!_"

* * *

Azrael was stopped midway into the attack when all the rock types buried him alive by using Rock Tomb. For a moment, everythibg was peaceful and the remaining conscious Pokémon all breathed a sigh of relief. But in the end it was all too good to be true as suddenly the ground under them started shaking as Azrael activated Earthquake once again to both free himself and bring more damage to his foes.

"NOTHING'S WORKING!" Greninja yelled as he continued running from the Earthquake attack. "WE CAN'T TAKE HIM DOWN!"

"WE CAN'T GIVE UP!" Charizard yelled back. "I'LL MAKE SURE THAT PUNK WILL GO DOWN IF ITS THE LAST THING I DO!"

"CHARIZARD, WAIT!" Pikachu cried after his friend.

Too late. Just as Charizard turned around to attack again, he was held in the air, along with the rest of the strongest Pokémon of the group, by Azrael's Psychic and then was tossed around like a rag doll, knocking over the weaker Pokémon trying to flee for their lives.

Pikachu manage to run for a little while until he slipped and fell flat on his face just in time to see a helpless Pokémon fly towards him.

_We are doomed._

* * *

POW! With one final fatal punch from Paul, Ash went down on his chest, beaten and torn from head to toe. He could barely breathe and the wounds on his body kept getting worse. He could fully feel the combined pain from all his broken bones torturing him. He was slowly losing blood from the cuts and wounds delivered to him from his arch enemy. Speaking of whom was stand right above him, actually smiling at his proud work. To add to it, Paul stepped on Ash's left fingers, squishing them under his feet causing Ash to wince in pain.

"You know, Ketchum," Paul said smugly, "I'm very disappointed in you. Even your little girlfriend had put up more of a fight than you. True, she got far worse of a beating than I have given you. All it took was some brutal hits from my Ursaring's Close Combat and Electivire's high-voltage Thunderbolts to brake her." Ash managed to widen his eyes at the thought of Paul using his own Pokémon to fulfill his cruel intentions towards the completely innocent Misty. Pokémon were meant to fight each other, not to harm and torture humans. "My men were able to take care of her Pokémon who all failed to save their master. Just like you have failed. And not just in saving her, but in everything else. It's no wonder you and her are no longer friends anymore. She finally saw you as the pathetic and useless person you really are. I- Hello, what's this?"

What Paul saw made him smirked. Laying right next to Ash's frail body was the little fishing lure that had the image of the same red headed girl he had travelled all this way for. The same lure she had given him a long time ago back when they were still friends. The same lure he has kept as a memory of her ever since their big argument, seeing that it, besides the handkerchief, was all he had left of her. It must have fallen out of his pocket when he fell. "Ah yes," Paul said as he picked it up and gazed at it. "I remember Dawn telling me about how you never liked anyone touching it or letting it out of your sight. So overprotective over a simple thing." Then right in front of Ash to see, he threw it on the ground and stomped on it, breaking it in three.

Ash's eyes widen in horror as he watched in slow-motion Paul destroying his most treasured possession. The last token he had left as a memory of the friendship he once had with his once best friend Misty was now broken, and Ash could do nothing but watch in pain, sorrow, and horror until both of those emotions were replaced by one as he looked up at his enemy: rage. He stared in pure anger and agony at Paul who had since turned his back on him, looking down on the field at a perticular red headed girl who had just gotten done taking down a few grunts with her trusty mallet. Paul watched on as Misty twirled her mallet in victory, then finally spoke again to his fallen rival. "But what I did to her then... what I did to you just now... how I destroyed what was left of your memory of your once close friendship... won't campare to what pain she'll feel next. And I promise you," he then turned around to face Ash, "this time, you will get to watch her die." He then snickered evilly as he turned back around. "And that is how I will kill you."

* * *

Azreal hovered over the remaining Pokémon like a vulture over its prey. A beaten yet still conscious Pikachu glared up at the monster as it readied a Hyper Beam at the beaten and barely conscious group. But just as he started it, he suddenly stopped it as he suddenly heard his master's thoughts in his head.

_Leave the Pokémon. Take care of the Gym Leader._

Azrael nodded torwards his master's direction and flew off towards his new victum, leaving the confused Pokémon behind.

"Where is he going?!" Piplup asked.

"I don't know," Pikachu panted as he slowly got up, "but I'm going to finish this once and for all."

"You sure you's should, Pikachu?" Meowth asked. "You's look like you could pass out anytime."

"Wobbuffet!"

"I'll take my chances." Then Pikachu suddenly stopped in his tracks as an idea struck him like one of his own Thunderbolt. "Maybe we need a new approach. Maybe we need to get him when he least expects it." He then told all the Pokémon his plan. By the end of his explaining, everyone agreed it was their last shot at defeating him.

"But will it work?" Piplup asked nervously.

" Only one way to find out. Charizard? You up for one more flight?"

The tired yet fierce dragon looked down at the mouse and gave him a smirk and a thumbs up. "Always."

* * *

Misty turned from her proud work to see the huge monster fly towards her with another lethal Aerial Ace. Despite all the bugs and things she had ever encountered that scared her, nothing scared her more than this demon made from hell. And to her, that was exactly what it was. She scooted back and tried running from Azrael, but tripped over one of the unconscious grunts on the ground and skinned her knee, causing her to cry out in pain. Azrael was coming closer by the second. Giving up, Misty curled into a ball in fear and sobbed as the creature came closer to make its kill.

But just as Azrael was about to strike, the electric mouse that had attacked him at the beginning of the battle fell from Charizard's back and knocked Azrael off course with a powerful attack that was a perfect mixture of a Quick Attack and Volt Tackle, causing him to loss his balance.

Just as Azrael was recovering, he was caught off guard when Pikachu suddenly yelled "NOW EVERYONE! GO! GO! GO!"

Azrael never got the chance to response when, in the blink of an eye, a barrage of Flamethrowers, Hyper Beams, Hydro Pumps, Water Guns, Solar Beams, Thunderbolts, and many more came crashing down on the un-expecting Pokémon. The barrage was so great, that it caused Azrael to actually weaken and fall to the ground.

Just as he was starting to struggle back up, Pikachu once again yelled "ALRIGHT GUYS! ONE MORE TIME!"

Just like before, all the Pokémon who were left conscious all fired their most powerful attacks at Azrael. As the monster cried out in pain from the mixed powers weakening him and actually harming him, he failed to see Pikachu jump in the air and activate his Iron Tail. The electric mouse than brought his tail down on the monster and sliced his weakened wings right off. Azrael screeched in pain but was instantly silenced when Pikachu brought another Iron Tail onto his head, instantly knocking out Azrael and bringing the Pokémon to victory.

Pikachu than landed by the rest of the Pokémon as they all took a quick breather from their victory. Pikachu looked at his friends and then to Misty, giving them all a thumbs up before laying on his back for a well deserved rest.

"Pikachu. Pika Pika Chu." (It's over. It's finally over.)

* * *

Ash couldn't take it anymore. Not only had Paul used his Pokémon to do terrible things to Misty, but now Paul tried to have her, the girl Ash loved above all else, killed right in front of him. Well, not if he had anything to say about it! No one hurts Misty and lives as far as Ash Ketchum, youngest Pokémon Master in history, was concerned! Slowly he used the anger he had now to give him the strength to stand up and, as best as he could with his pain, stumble over towards Paul, who was watching in shock as Azrael was taken down by such a small rodent and a group of mere Pokémon. He was so shocked, he didn't hear Ash take struggling steps towards him slowly, wincing at each step. He kept going till he finally was right behind Paul and harshly turned him around and grabbed him by the collar with one hand and prepared to punch in in the face with the other.

PUNCH! "THAT WAS FOR ALL MY FRIENDS YOU HAVE HURT WITH YOUR LIES AND DECEPTION!"

PUNCH! "THAT WAS FOR ALL THE POKÉMON THAT HAVE SUFFERED BECAUSE OF YOU!"

PUNCH! "THAT WAS FOR ALL THE INNOCENT PEOPLE YOU HAVE HARMED!"

PUNCH! "THAT WAS FOR BREAKING DAWN'S HEART!" **(Author's Notes: No pun intended for the breaking dawn part.)**

PUNCH! "THAT WAS FOR HAVING MAY AND MAX'S PARENTS ATTACKED!"

After five punches, Ash let Paul fall to the ground, his nose bleeding. He looked up and glared at Ash, only to be grabbed by the collar one last time. "And this," Ash snarled in a whisper to him, "is for Misty." And with that, Ash gave him a perfect right uppercut to the jaw. finally knocking Paul out for the count.

Ash collasped onto his knees and breathed a sigh of relief. He finally did it. He had finally defeated Paul and avenged Misty. It was over and now all Ash wanted to do was sit there and take it all in. He still was suffering from all his injuries and scars and he felt his lungs were about to give out. He had get to a hospital as soon as they got back to Kanto or he didn't think he was going to make it. He stopped thinking about that as he heard breathing from not to far away from him. He turned his head to see Misty on her knees as well just twelve feet from where he sat, catching her breath after the heated battle that just occurred just a minute ago.

Misty felt his gaze on her and turned her attention to him. Despite just getting over her near death by the hands of Azrael, she was able to hear what he yelled at Paul between each punch, especially the last one which definitely caught her attention. As they looked at each other, Ash was worried she was going to scowl at him and was tempted to look away. But for some reason which Misty herself couldn't figure out, she didn't have it in her to scowl or yell at him. They just looked at each other, both gazing into the other's soul and heart. Suddenly, Misty didn't feel so angry at Ash anymore. Suddenly she was starting to think he really didn't mean those things he said to her a long time ago. Maybe he really did care for her. Maybe-

"MISTY WATCH OUT!" Her train of thought was interrupted by Ash's screaming at her with worry and fear in his eyes for her safety. But before she even had a chance to respond, a huge strong hand grabbed her by the neck and forcefully pulled her up till she was dangling above the stranger's head. "NO!" Ash yelled as he watched Misty mercilessly being choked to death by none other than Azrael who, despite losing both his wings thanks to Pikachu, somehow survived the last barrage of attacks from Pikachu and the others. And now he had Misty in his hands and was now going to make good of his master's wishes: to take away everything important to Ash Ketchum. The other Pokémon saw him grab Misty and ran to save her but were stopped by Azrael's Psychic and then thrown into Ash's friends as they were just coming back from taking care of the last of the grunts. Azrael then squeezed down hard on Misty's neck as she struggled to get free. But the more she struggled the tighter his grip on her neck got till soon was too tight on her neck that she could barely breathe or fight against him. All she could do was try to hold on to her life.

"... Ash..." she managed to choke out, tears running down her eyes, "... ple-ease... h-h-help me-ee..."

"LET HER GO!" Ash yelled, full of rage and fury. Ash tried getting up and running towards Azrael but was tripped by Paul's hand grabbing his leg, causing Ash to fall and land on his face. "AHH!" he shouted in pain. He managed to open his left eye to see Azrael nearing the edge of the volcano and knew exactly what he was planning to do- to drop Misty down into it.

"I told you you failed to save her," Paul muttered painfully. Then with the hand on Ash's leg, he twisted it brutally, causing Ash to scream in pain. Paul snickered and was about to do it again when-

"PIKACHU, USE THUNDERBOLT ON PAUL!" shouted Dawn.

"PIKACHUUUUUUUUUUU!" And with the mighty attack from Ash's loyal starter, Paul was sent blasting off into the hemisphere. Afterwards, the full weight of the battle came to Pikachu and the poor exhausted rodent collapsed and fainted right there on the spot.

"Ash!" cried Serena as she and the rest of the gang ran towards Ash to help him up, with Pikachu, who was slowly regaining consciousness, in Dawn's arms. "Are you ok?!"

Ash didn't answer. All he did was push everyone off of him and ran limpingly towards Azrael and Misty as fast as he could.

"ASH! DON'T!"

"ASH STOP! YOU'RE IN NO SHAPE TO MOVE!"

"ASH GET BACK HERE! ASH!"

"PIKAPI! (ASH!)

Ash ignored his friends' pleas to come back. All he could think about was saving Misty, even if it cost him his own life. _I'm sorry, guys, _he thought sorrowfully as he continued towards the Pokémon that held the girl he loved. _But I came here to save Misty. And I will never let her down ever again._

Misty was slowly losing what was left of her breath as Azrael held her by the edge of the volcano, getting ready to throw her in. She cried like never before as she knew what her fate was, whether by this demon's grip or by the lava down below. She looked the demon in the eye, waiting and pleading to just get it over with. She had given up. There was no way out of this one for her. This was it.

"Such a shame that a beautiful creature like you," Azrael actually spoke, in the most demonic and menacing deep voice you could think of, "has to perish." He then took the arm with her in its grasp and got ready to throw her in.

"NO!" Suddenly Azrael was grabbed from behind by Ash which caused them both to fall into the volcano, with Misty landing safely on the ledge. She held her neck as she coughed and coughed, getting her breath back. Then she opened her eyes to see the monster plummeting down towards the lava... along with Ash.

"ASH!" Seeing that Ash was also falling down the volcano, her eyes widen and she leaned over the edge reaching her arm towards him as if trying to save him. But it was no use. All she could do was watch her savior fall to his death. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she screamed, fresh new tears falling from her eyes. By now the rest of the group, who had watch the whole thing, made it over next to her just in time to watch in horror as their friend continued his descent. Pikachu, now fully conscious, joined Misty on the ledge crying for his master.

Everything was going in slow motion as Ash continued falling to his death but he still managed to turn around so he was facing the sky. It was just moments ago that Azrael had fallen into the lava below and Ash wasn't too far behind. As he gazed up, he could see lots of little dots leaning over the edge looking down at him. He knew right away it was his friends and all their Pokémon along with his. He could faintly hear the voices of Pikachu and Misty crying out to him from above. But it was too late now. He was going to die. It pained him knowing he would never see any of his friends ever again, both human and Pokémon. He was never going to see his mother again, or catch and train Pokémon, or go on exciting adventures in brand new lands. But the worst part was he would never see Misty again and never get the chance to truly make things right with her and tell her how he felt. But he felt he could now rest in peace knowing that she was no longer in harm's way and was safe and sound with the rest of his friends. Just as he was about to fall in the lava, he finally gave in to how bad of a condition he was in and gave up consciousness right after whispering one final thing.

"I love you Misty..."

Then he fell in.

* * *

Huge epic cliffhanger right here, folks! Didn't see that coming now did you? I JUST KILLED ASH STINKING KETCHUM!... or did I? I mean, there are two chapters left so anything could happen in them. You'll just have to wait and see if Ash is truly dead or not. In the meantime, you know the drill: review, favorite, and follow. Well, see ya.


	18. Forgiven and Confession

I'm back with chapter 18! And now we can all see if Ash really died or not last chapter! This chapter honestly only took me three hours to complete the day after I posted chapter 17, but I wanted to post this chapter along with 19 on the same day. Trust me, you won't be disappointed with this chapter!

Don't own Pokémon. Why do you keep asking?

* * *

**Chapter 18: Forgiven and Confession**

_What am I doing here? Why do I stay? These are some of the questions I keep asking myself for the past two weeks as I sit in his hospital room. And it always seems to point back to what he did two weeks ago on that volcano, willing to risk his own life for me of all people. I didn't know why it pained me so it see him get tossed around by that monster's psychic powers or why I felt really heartbroken when we all watched him fall into that volcano, then feeling relief take over when he was miraculously brought back out alive yet unconscious and still in a bad condition. And now here I am, staying in his hospital room, sitting right beside his coma state body on his bed ever since we brought him here in Viridian City as quick as we could two weeks ago. I've never left this room since then, only ever getting up to get something to eat or to use the restroom. And that confuses me the most: I don't know why I stay here. I shouldn't even be liking him right now. I should be hating him with all my heart for what he did to me all those years ago. And yet, somehow, I can't bring myself to hate him or to leave his side. It's as if I owe it to him for risking his life just to save scrawny lil' me. Why is that? It's not like I __like__ him anymore… right? Ugh! This is so confusing! Instead of hating him and feeling betrayed by him, I find myself worried and praying that he makes it out of here alive. He shouldn't even had survived the volcano and the battle still took a toll on him regardless. I find myself worried that he will never wake up! That he would die before I ever got the chance to thank him for saving me and tell him that I lo- NO! Stop it! I-I don't feel that way about him anymore! I've gotten over those feelings a long time ago! ... But then, why do I worry? Why do I care? Why am I scared to death 99% of the time that he will never wake up? Is it actually possible that I have forgiven him? I shouldn't. He doesn't deserve it at all. But then again he came all this way just to save my life. But he shattered my life years ago. But then again I was being a jerk myself day, which really drove him to explode like that. But it shouldn't justify what he said to me! … But… if he really didn't care,… if he really meant those hurtful things he said to me,… he never would've went through all that trouble just to rescue me form Team Rocket and then from that monster and the volcano. Which I guess means… he really does regret the pain he caused me. He really is sorry. And to be honest, I really don't want to stay mad at him anymore. I… I want to forgive him. Can I? Do I forgive you, Ash Ketchum?_

_I… I guess I… do… Yes. Yes, I do forgive you._

_But… do I still love you, Ash Ketchum?_

… _To be honest,… I don't think I ever stopped loving you!_

Three weeks later... (from the last chapter, not from the top part)

Ash felt weird. Something wasn't right. He should be dead, he somehow could tell he wasn't. The last thing he remembered he was plummeting down a volcano. How was it he felt himself slowing gaining his consciousness back when he should've been dead with his body destroyed by the volcano's lava? He cautiously and slowly opened his eyes only to find himself in what looked like a hospital room, complete with the IVs, the heart monitors, the end of a hospital bed at his feet, the sleeping red-headed girl lying on his chest, the-

Wait,... the sleeping red-headed girl lying on his chest?!

Ash opened his eyes wide open but didn't move a muscle as he got a better look at the girl sleeping right in front of him. She was asleep sitting in a chair right by his bed but had her head gently resting on his chest, her head facing his. She had her hair out her side ponytail, letting her hair down in the way he always loved it. Just looking at her face Ash could tell she must not have gotten much sleep since... how ever long ago he was brought here and she needed this nap. She looked so peaceful, so gentle, so innocent, so... beautiful that Ash had to use all of his self control not to reach out and caress her flawless and youthful face out of fear of waking her up.

However he didn't have to worry about waking her up as he noticed that she was starting to stir. Ash stiffened up, waiting as she was slowly coming back from dreamland. As soon as she opened her eyes just a little bit, her eyes widened as she gazed at the now fully conscious Ash. The two gazed at each other for a few seconds till the girl finally spoke.

"A-Ash?!"

"M-Misty, I-" But just like last time they reencountered each other, Misty didn't let Ash finish. This time, however, Ash wasn't met with a slap on the face but instead with a huge hug.

"ASH! YOU'RE AWAKE!" Misty cried happily into his shoulder. "YOU'RE FINALLY AWAKE!"

"AH! MISTY! PAIN! IN PAIN!"

Misty looked up at Ash and then realized she may have been hugging him too tightly. Blushing out of embarrassment, she removed her arms from around him and ended up with just settling with holding his hand that was the closest to her. "Sorry Ash. I guess I was just so happy to see you finally wake up. You were out of it for so long that I-er-I mean, _we_ were scared you would never wake up."

Ash raised an eyebrow as he slowly sat up. "How long was I out? What hospital are we at? And while I'm asking questions... HOW am I still alive?" Then he got a terrible thought. "OR ARE WE BOTH DEAD?!" he panicked.

Misty sweatdropped and laughed. "First of all, Ash, no, we are not dead. We are very much alive. And to answer your questions, (1) you were out for three weeks, (2) we are at the Viridian City General Hospital,... and (3) its a long story."

"Well," Ash said getting very comfortable for this story, "what happened?"

Misty looked into his eyes and could tell she had his full attention. However she had to look away before she got trapped in his eyes._ How I've missed those eyes, _she thought. She tossed that thought aside quickly and turned her attention back to the boy she was sitting by. "Well, it took us all by surprise. You should've died in that volcano, but... well, it happened like this..."

**(Flashback)**

Misty couldn't take it anymore. Despite already crying so many times that day alone, she unleashed the full floodgates as she saw Ash fall into the lava. That was it. Ash was dead. He died saving her life. And she couldn't do anything now but cry and cry and cry over her fallen friend. She felt Pikachu rub her leg and took a moment to look through her teary eyes to see an equally sad Pikachu looking up at her, crying over his fallen master. Misty took the little mouse in her arms and hugged him tightly as they cried together. She tuned the rest of the world out. She knew the rest of Ash's friends (even Jessie, James, and Meowth were crying) were mourning over their lost friend but she couldn't hear them. Her mind was blank and all she could think about was that Ash was gone. Now, she could never get the chance to forgive him. She could never get the chance to have him as her friend again. And worse of all, she could never tell him how she-

"MISTY! LOOK!"

Misty was brought back into the world by the mention of her name, halfway hoping it was Ash and that this was all just a bad dream. But then she saw that she was still on the volcano and continued her weeping until she suddenly heard-

"PSSSSSSSSSSSSYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"

Startled, Misty turned her head to see... her Psyduck holding his head as tight as he could with his eyes glowing light blue. Misty recognized right away what Psyduck was doing: he was using his Psychic ability! But on what? Suddenly, Misty heard a bubbling sound and it was coming from the lava. Quickly, Misty and the rest of the gang looked over the volcano only to see a figure rise from the lava. Taking a closer look, they were able to tell that the figure had a white glow surrounding it, which must have kept it safe from the lava. Taking an even closer look, Misty right away recognized the still unconscious yet fully intact human being as...

"IT'S ASH!" screamed May.

"HE'S ALIVE!" Jessie yelled happily. "THE TWERP IS ALIVE!"

"But is Psyduck strong enough to pull him up?!" Max asked panicky.

Misty knew he was right. Psyduck could only do so much and pulling Ash from the depts. of a volcano much less getting a hold of him right before he fell in the lava was way more than the dimwitted duck was used to. So she turned to her Pokémon and yelled encouragingly and desperately "COME ON, PSYDUCK! PLEASE! YOU CAN DO THIS!YOU JUST GOTTA SAVE HIM! PLEASE!"

But even with the encouraging words, Misty could tell that the stress was taking over the poor duck and he was starting to lose his grip on Ash's body.

"MISTY, WE'RE LOSING HIM!' Brock yelled after seeing Ash drop a little bit towards the lava again.

Misty was getting scared. Psyduck, as weird as it sounded, may be their only chance to save Ash. Quickly, she turned back around to her Pokémon and pleaded with him, without any tears left to cry. "PSYDUCK PLEASE! DO THIS FOR ME! PLEASE! I BELIEVE IN YOU!"

Hearing this seemed to do something to Psyduck as afterwards he suddenly started glowing a bright light while still trying to hold on to the attack. Everyone gaped and stood in shock at the sight before them.

"Is... Is he..?" Dawn stuttered in amazement.

"My word!" Tracey exclaimed. "Psyduck is finally evolving!"

Sure enough Tracey was right for soon the white glowing form of Psyduck grew into a taller and thinner duck. Soon the white glow disappeared and Psyduck was no longer in his place. Instead, there stood his evolved form of Golduck. Misty smiled brightly at her newly evolved Pokémon and then saw that his Psychic grew stronger and that Ash was coming closer to the surface.

"ALRIGHT, GOLDUCK, KEEP IT UP!" she cheered happily. And sure enough, Golduck was able to bring Ash's body back to the surface as far from the hole as he could. As the gang ran towards their friend to make sure he was still alive, Golduck collapsed on the ground. The attack seemed to have taken a lot out of him, even after he evolved. Misty took a moment to hug her newly evolved Pokémon and to whisper "Thank you, Golduck. You don't know how much this means to me."

Golduck smiled at his trainer and gave her a thumbs up. Misty then returned him to his Pokéball and to join the others. When she got there, Brock was already by Ash looking for any signs of life. Once again, Misty grew scared.

"Brock? I-Is he..?" she asked whimpering.

Brock looked up at her and gave her a small smile. "He's alive." Misty and everyone else breathed a sigh of relief. "But," Brock continued, causing everyone to grow fearful for their friend again, "he's barely holding on as it is. We have to take him to the hospital and fast!"

"Can't we just use the Angel Fruit?" Dawn asked.

"No. We're all out! We used what was left for Clemont's serum to heal the Pokémon up!"

Just before anyone else could say anything, Clemont flew over in his flying Yveital robot and opened the hatch for everyone to get in. "COME ON, GUYS!" he yelled from the open door. "THE SOONER WE GET OFF THIS VOLCANO THE SOONER WE CAN SAVE ASH!"

Wasting no time, Misty and Brock gently grabbed Ash from under his arms, carrying him into the robot. Just as they entered the robot and flew off towards Kanto, Misty looked down to the unconscious boy she was holding in her lab, her heart breaking at the site of his unresponsive face.

_Please hang on, Ash, _she thought pleadingly. _Everything's going to be ok. Just please hold on._

**(End of Flashback)**

"As quick as we could we brought you here to Viridian City Hospital and into the emergency room. If we got here any later, you never would've made it. And since you never woke up for three weeks, we were beginning to think you weren't going to make it. I stayed in this room with you since we got here, hoping that maybe some company could keep you with us." She choked back a sob at the thought of almost losing him. She turned her gaze back to him with sorrowful eyes. "Please Ash," she pleaded, "don't you ever put me through that again. I've never been so scared in all my life. I thought I lost you forever. I don't think I could live if I did. Please don't scare me like that ever again, Ash Ketchum."

Ash was surprised that Misty was suddenly acting... caringly towards him. These last few weeks must have been torture for her if she was scared he was going to die. He looked back at her and smiled. "I won't."

Misty smiled back at him. "You better not."

"And you'll have to remind me to thank Golduck after I get out of here, ok?"Then Ash got confused. "But... But why did... why did you... stay with me this whole time? I mean,.. I-I thought..."

Misty blushed as she smiled at him. "Well,.. let's just say it's... my way of giving you a second chance."

Ash's eyes widened. "You... Y-Y-You mean...?"

"Yes, Ash," Misty smiled warmly at him. "I forgive you."

At those words, a huge burden had fallen completely off Ash's shoulder, falling into the abyss never to be seen again. And on Ash's face grew the biggest smile he ever had. "So... we're friends again?!"

Misty giggled and held up his hand. "Best friends." She then sighed and frowned. "And I'm sorry for my part of that argument. If I didn't say anything, we never would've-"

"Shh," Ash said while placing a figure on her lips, causing her to shut up and to blush. "You don't need to apologize. It was my fault anyway. But let's leave what's in the past in the past and... start over."

Misty beamed at Ash and embraced him in another hug, this time a little more softly. Ash quickly returned the hug and smiled, for the first time in a long while, a true smile. He had never been this happy in a long time. Not even when he was made the youngest Pokemon Master in history was compared to having Misty back in his life again, even if it was just as his friend. "I've missed you so much, Misty," he said happily.

"I've missed you too, Ash," she replied back. "And thank you."

Ash pulled back and gave her a confused look. "For what?"

"For coming all that way just to save my life."

Ash once again smiled at his once again best friend. "Anytime, Misty. Anytime" And then the two best friends once again embraced each other, bringing back all the joy and love they had through their now newly reborn friendship.

While in their embrace, a thought came to Misty. She suddenly remembered something Paul said to them when they were in his office. She remembered feeling shocked about it but because of all that had happened between then and now, she hadn't really given it that much thought. Slowly she regrettably removed herself from Ash's arms and looked him in the eyes. "Ash?"

"Yes Mist?"

_Oh how I've missed that nickname he gave me. _"Back when we were on the island," she said softly, "Paul said something about taking the person who meant the most to you. Obviously, he was referring to me but,... was he right? A-Am I really the person who means the most to you?"

At that moment, Ash's heart started racing. _OH MAN!_ he thought in a panicked state. _WHAT DO I DO?! WHAT DO I DO?! I JUST GOT MISTY BACK IN MY LIFE AS MY BEST FRIEND AGAIN! I DON'T WANT TO RUIN IT AGAIN BY TELLING HER I'M IN LOVE WITH HER! IT'S WAY TOO SOON! I-_

"Ash?" Misty's beautiful voice brought Ash out of his panicked state and back into the real world. "Is it true?" she asked again.

Ash looked into her eyes and was shocked to see that they were... hopeful. As if there was a certain answer that she was longing to hear, maybe even the answer yes. He even had a sneaking feeling that she wanted to hear him say...

In the end, Ash breathed in and out, and gave in to Misty. "Yes," he said, noticing Misty's eyes brighten as he said it, "Yes it's true." He then took both her soft hands in his and gently gave them both a light squeeze. "The truth is, Misty, ever since you left to take care of your gym for your sisters all those years ago, a huge part of me left with you. And when we... last fought, I definitely knew I was never going to be the same without you around. If it weren't for you, I would still be that dumb little kid fighting birds with bugs. It's because of you I made it so far in my journeys, even when you weren't there. And in the end, it was because of you and all you did for me that I was able to fulfill my dream of becoming a Pokémon Master. It was your friendship and your pushing me to keep going that got me to where I am today. Without you, I'm nothing. So yes, Misty. You are the person who means the most to me. Heck, you mean the world to me. As crazy as it sounds, I'm glad I stole your bike that day because... I ended up with the greatest friend a guy like me could ask for. In fact I... I... I..."

Misty right away knew what was coming and her heart started racing. _Oh my Mew! _she thought excitedly. _I... I think he is going to say it! He's really going to say it! _"Ash," she said softly trying to calm down the nervous boy, "just tell me whatever is on your heart."

And right then and there, just by looking at the girl in front of him, Ash knew he had nothing to worry about. So taking in a deep breath and closing his eyes, he said it.

"The truth is... I'm in love with you, Misty."

Right after saying it, Ash slowly opened his eyes only to see the girl in front of him crying fresh new tears. He would've regretted saying what he said if he didn't see the beautiful smile on her face. Then he knew. She wasn't crying tears of sorrow, but instead tears of joy. For the first time in years Misty was crying tears for the happiness that overflowed her heart instead of the pain.

"I've waited a long time to hear those words coming from you," she said, still crying yet happily.

Ash smiled back. "Does this mean..?"

"Yes, Ash. I love you, too. Always have and always will. Even after the fight, deep down I never stopped loving you." She then brought his right hand up and kissed his fingers and held them to her heart. "And I never will."

And at that moment,both of them realized how close their faces were to each other, but instead of pulling away, they became trapped in each other's gaze. Slowly they moved closer to each other, closing their eyes in the process. They kept moving closer till finally ther lips met. Misty wrapped her arms around Ash's neck while Ash brought one hand in her hair and the other on her back as they shared their first kiss. It wasn't too overly passionate but nevertheless it was the most perfect first kiss either of them could imagine. Sadly they needed to breathe in order to live, so the two reluctantly broke the kiss and sat there to catch their breath.

"Wow," Ash breathed.

"Yeah," Misty whispered.

"So, I guess this makes you my girlfriend, right?"

Misty giggled. "Well I don't exactly have a habit of telling my friends I love them and then kissing them."

Ash laughed but then frowned. "I just regret the fact that it took us so long and through so much just to get to here."

Misty started caressing Ash's cheek and then peck him on the lips. "Well, we're together now," she whispered in a almost seductive tone. "That's all that matters, Mr. Pokémon Master." The new couple then went for their second kiss when-

"Eww! Come on guys! There are kids in the room!"

Blushing out of pure embarrassment, Ash and Misty quickly removed themselves from each other and turned their heads towards the entrance of the room to see their friends all looking at them: Brock with a knowing smirk, Tracey drawing pictures of them kissing, Gary taking pictures with his phone, May and Dawn squealing like schoolgirls over the scene before them, Max covering his eyes out of embarrassment, and Clemont trying to cover the eyes of a really excited Bonnie from the scene. The TR trio was also there, crying over how beautiful that all was. The only one in the group who was missing was Serena.

"H-HOW LONG HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN STANDING THERE?!" Misty yelled out of anger and embarrassment.

"Right in the middle of your first kiss," Brock said, still smirking much to Misty's annoyance. "Which I must say was a lot better than I imaged you guys would kiss."

"Congradulations, guys," Tracey said as he finished a sketch. "Would you like any copies of these?"

Ashy-Boy and Misty sitting in a tree!" Gary sang mockingly. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"That was the most romantic thing I have ever seen!" squealed May with hearts in her eyes.

"You guys make the cutest couple EVER!" Dawn also squealed.

"Not gonna look. Not gonna look. Not gonna look. Not gonna look," Max muttered as he continued covering his eyes.

"No, Bonnie, stop!" Clemont struggled, still trying to keep Bonnie from the scene.

"But I want to see them kissing!" Bonnie whined back to her big brother.

"That was (sniff) so beautiful," James sobbed.

"I always knew those two were meant for each other," Jessie sobbed, right before blowing her nose on James' uniform.

"They're love boids!" Meowth sobbed.

"W-W-Wobbuffe-e-et."

Misty growled under her breath at the gang while Ash just sweatdropped. "Uh guys," Ash said while rubbing the back of his neck, "we know you guys are happy for us and all, but could you please give us some privacy?"

"Why Ash?" Gary teased. "Are you guys planning on getting more _acquainted_?"

"GARY!" Misty screamed furiously. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" And she would've if Ash hadn't grab her hand and stopped her gently. Misty instantly softened and cooled down at the touch of her new boyfriend's hand.

"Alright alright," Brock laughed, enjoying the sight of Ash and Misty as boyfriend/girlfriend. "We'll leave you guys be."

"You know, (sniff) we were planning on taking Pikachu right after saving the Red Headed Twerpette," Jessie said, finishing her crying. "However, we are so happy you guys got together that we will leave you alone till two weeks after you get out of the hospital."

"Oh gee," Ash said sarcastically with a huge sweatdrop on his head, thanks, Team Rocket. I feel sooo loved by you guys."

"Oh what are enemies for?" James said kindly with a wave.

"Guys, seriously," Ash pleaded. "We would really appreciate it if you guys would give us some time alone together. We haven't really seen each other in years and we would like to catch up."

"Alright alright," Brock laughed, happy to see his two best friends finally together. "We'll leave you two to yourselves."

"Wait!" Meowth suddenly spoke to his two partners in crime. "We can't leave yet!"

"Huh? What do you mean, Meowth?" Jessie asked, confused.

"We still have unfinished business with the secondary Twerps!"

"What do you mean we- OH!" James realized exactly what Meowth was talking about. He then turned to Brock and starting going through his pockets. Ash and Misty were starting to think he had a gun till they saw what he actually had: $20. "Here Twerp, a bet is a bet."

"WAIT, WHAT?!" Ash and Misty yelled at the same time.

"Oh that's right!" Tracey exclaimed. "Gary pay up!"

"Fine!" Gary groaned as he handed Tracey $15.

"Oh Tracey! You owe me $5!" May entered.

"I believe you owe me $10!" Max smirked at Jessie.

"Someone owes me $25!" Dawn yelled.

"I believe you owe me $20, Twerp," Jessie said to Dawn.

"Meowth, you's owe me $5, Twerpo!" he said to Brock.

"Wait wait wait!" Misty said interrupting the group. "Let me get this straight... YOU GUYS MADE A BET WHETHER OR NOT ASH AND I WOULD GET TOGETHER?!"

"No," Brock tried to explain to the furious Gym Leader. "WHEN and HOW you guys got together."

"OH, THAT'S IT!" Misty yelled, bringing out her trusty mallet of doom and started swinging it over their heads. "ALL OF YOU, OUT! OUT! OUT! OUT!" None of them needed to be told twice as they all quickly evacuated the hospital room to escape the wrath of Misty Waterflower. Brock and the gang just went back to the waiting room where Serena was with the Pokémon while Team Rocket left the building altogether.

Ash and Misty could even hear from their room as the trio of thieves flew off in their hot air balloon yelling "TEAM ROCKET'S DASHING OFF AGAIN!"

"WOBBUFFET!"

Misty growled under her breath as she thought of numerous ways to kill Brock and the others until she heard Ash laugh. She turned around and glared at her boyfriend. "What's so funny?!"

"Nothing, Mist," Ash laughed. "I just really miss every part of your personally, even your temper. Now come over here." He was now patting the side of his bed while giving him the smile she fell in love with a long time ago. "I want to spend every moment of the time I'm here catching up with my girlfriend."

Misty instantly smiled at her boyfriend and laid down on the bad on her side right next to him. "That's right! You have three journeys worth of stories to tell me! Tell me everything and don't leave a thing out!"

Ash laughed. "I won't." He then kissed Misty on the lips and then began telling her about his journeys through Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos.

* * *

YES! YES! YES! THEY ARE FINALLY TOGETHER! This would look like a great place to just end the story... but its not the end! We only have one chapter left and it will answer the following questions: What becomes of the gym leaders and Pokémon who were attacked? Whatever happened to Paul? And what will happen to Ash and Misty now that they are together? All will be answered in the exciting conclusion of Pokémon: The Quest for Misty! I will have the final chapter up is just a few minutes! Reviews are appreciated!


	19. Together Forever

Guys, I can't believe it. I have now finished writing the final chapter to this story. It's been fun everyone. I want to thank all of you who stayed and continued reading this story. It means a lot that my very first story has become so popular and I can't wait to start writing my next fanfic. But until then, here is the grand finale of _Pokémon: The Quest for Misty. _Enjoy and thank you. Don't forget to review.

And I don't own Pokémon...

WOBBUFFET!

* * *

**Chapter 19: Together Forever**

Two months later...

"_In other news_," the news reporter on the TV spoke, "_reports have come in that Paul _Shinji, responsible for the Gym M_assacres a couple of months ago,__ was apprehended this morning on Cerulean Cape. Officer Jenny of Cerulean reported to have found Mr. Shinji on top of the Cape fast asleep with marker scribbles all over his face along with other people in the same predicament. After waking the other people, Jenny was told by eye witnesses that a cute little pink Pokémon was seen singing a beautiful lullaby to them right before they all fell asleep. _**(Author's Notes: High fives to everyone who knows who they are talking about! XD)** _Mr. Shinji was then taken to Kanto Prison where he will spend the rest of his days paying for his crimes. Now back to you,_ _Amanda-_" *click* Not really interested in watching anymore TV, Dawn went over to turn off the TV. It wasn't that she was still sulking over Paul using her and everything. She was completely over him. But on the other hand, she still never wanted to hear his name or see his face ever again.

It had now been two months since Ash had awaken in the hospital and made up (and made out) with Misty and so much had happened since then. Brock and a few others had gone back to the forest where they found the Angel Fruit and grabbed as many as they could. Then with the help of Clemont, they made more of the serum that was used on their Pokémon and sent it to all the Gyms. In a matter of days, every single Pokémon was restored to full health and were even stronger than ever now. All the leaders who were attacked, including May and Max's parents, recovered quickly and were out of the hospitals in no time. All that was left was rebuild the Pokémon Gyms.

Ash's friends went home after Ash woke up but came to visit him very frequently. Iris and Cilan visited him the following week and were happy to see him alive after all they heard he went through. They congratulated him for getting a girlfriend, though Iris, much to Ash's dismay, said it didn't change the fact that he was still "such a little kid." Pikachu and the rest of Ash's Pokémon were sent back to Professor Oak's Lab and were cared for by Tracey and Gary, and didn't even have one visit from Team Rocket, who stayed true to their word. All of them danced with joy that their master was alive and now had a "mate," especially that "mate" being someone they all liked very much. Ash's mom came over to the hospital the very next day he awoke and was both happy and relief that her baby boy alive and was very happy to see him and Misty together. Delia had always seen Misty as the daughter she never had and always had known the two had a thing for each other so this news was no surprise to her yet all the more welcoming. Ash was glad his mom approved of his relationship with Misty, though its needless to say that the new couple were seriously embarrassed by her comment of being a grandmother.

Misty was the only one who never left the hospital. For the whole two months she stayed by his side as they talked about old times, Ash's journeys, and the future, which this time went better. She even helped him as he spent his remaining time at the hospital regaining his strength. They still had their little moments of bickering, but they were all fun and playful. After all, they wouldn't be Ash and Misty if they didn't argue. But they promised to never again let an argument get out of hand.

Now that Ash has gained all his strength back, today was the day Ash was finally getting released from the hospital. Brock, Gary, Tracey, May, Max, Drew, Dawn, Cilan, Iris, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie were all in the waiting room, ready for Nurse Joy to come out any minute and let them know of Ash's release. Dawn had just got back to her seat by May after turning off the TV and sighed.

"You ok?" May asked her friend.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Dawn said with a said smile. "I just need a little more time, that's all."

"Well, we're here for you, Dawn," Brock said kindly. "All of us."

Dawn beamed. "Thanks guys. I don't know what I'd do without you all."

Then May had an idea. "You know, once you are ready to date again, I think Kenny is open."

Dawn blushed at the mention of her childhood friend/rival. "K-Kenny?"

"Hey that's right!" Brock said. "I do believe he does have a thing for you."

"I... I don't know."

"You should give him a chance, Dawn," May said. "I can tell he really cares for you a lot."

Dawn thought about for a few seconds till she turned to her two friends and smiled. "You know something? I think I will."

Brock and May smiled but then turned their attention towards the door at the front desk as it opened. In came Nurse Joy, with her clipboard, her famous warm smile and a Chancey right behind her. She walked over to the group and looked at her clipboard. "Are you the group waiting for Ash Ketchum?"

"Yes mam," the group said in unison.

"Well then I'm happy to say that Ash has just been released and is free to go."

"Thanks Nurse Joy."

It was then that Brock couldn't take it anymore. For two and a half mouths he had kept his hormones under control. But now that Ash was leaving the hospital and everything was right in the world again, he couldn't wait another minute. He ran over to the bewildered Nurse Joy, got down on one knee, and held both of her hands in his. "Oh Nurse Joy," he said, now fully in his girl-crazy mode, "thank you so much for taking care of my friend! Now I wish for you to take care of me and my bleeding heart by giving me your love!"

Unfortunately for Brock, the only response he got was the familiar pull on his ear from a evilly smirking Misty Waterflower. "It's good to be back," she laughed mischievously as she dragged Brock away from Nurse Joy, leaving the confused Nurse to sweatdrop and the rest of the gang to laugh.

Just as Misty dragged Brock off, Ash had came out back in his Kalos outfit and ready to go. However if anyone had noticed, they would've noticed Ash looking very depress. And he had a perfectly good reason to be. He was now out of the hospital which meant one thing he never wanted to happen again: Misty was going to have to return home to Cerulean to oversee the construction of the Gym. She was the Gym Leader after all and he knew he blew his chance of her traveling with him again even though they were now a couple. And Ash knew he couldn't just stay with her at the gym even though he so wanted to. But he was a Pokémon Master now, so he had a duty and one last journey to go if he ever wanted to become the Grand Master. And knowing his girlfriend, Misty would never let him give up continuing his dreams just for her. So sadly, Ash and Misty were to go separate ways once again. This time, however, Ash would definitely contact and visit her a lot more frequently than he did during Hoenn.

Misty came back from wherever she placed Brock and saw that her boyfriend was in deep thought. She walked over to him, placed her arms around his neck, and kissed his cheek lovingly. "You ok, Ashy?"

Ash turned to look at his girl and smiled. "Yeah, I was just thinking."

"Well, don't hurt yourself," she teased playfully, poking his cheek.

Ash couldn't help but laugh. "Why do you have to be so mean?" he said, faking hurt.

"It's how I roll," she joked and then kissed him on the lips. "But seriously, is something wrong?"

"No Mist, nothing's wrong."

"Are you sure? You know you can tell me anything."

"No need to worry, Mist. Everything is fine." He then kissed her forehead then walked in the direction of where his other friends sitting. On the way there, he was tackled by a very happy Pikachu, whom he gladly gave a huge hug to. Noticing that Misty wasn't walking beside him, he turned around to see her still standing where she was. "You coming?"

"Huh?" Misty blinked. "Oh right! Actually, I just remembered that I have to make a call real quick. Don't go away, I'll be right back!"

"Ok," Ash smiled. He and Pikachu then turned to talk to his friends while Misty went to where the vidphones were located.

It was true that Misty was going to make a call. What she didn't tell Ash was to who and why. The truth was, Misty was just as depressed that they had to go their separate ways once again, even after finally becoming friends again and in the process becoming even more. But the fact that she now knew where she really stood in Ash's life hurt her more than the first time they had to split up. She wanted more than anything now more than ever to travel along side him instead of being cooped up at a hotel and then later the new Cerulean Gym. This call was going to be her last chance and hopefully the people she was going to talk to were going to listen.

When Misty returned from her call, Ash called Professor Oak and picked up the team he had with him when he first started the quest. Afterwards, Ash, Misty, and the gang went out to eat for their last dinner together for awhile. Now with the world back to normal and Ash and Misty safe, everyone had to return to their normal lives. Brock had to return to Pewter City and continue his practice as a Pokémon Doctor. May and Max, being escorted by Drew, were going back to Hoenn and then May and Drew where leaving for contests being held on the Orange Islands. Dawn was going back to Sinnoh, possibly going to see a certain boy named Kenny, and was then leaving to join May and Drew in the Orange Islands. Gary and Tracey were returning to Professor Oak's Lab back in Pallet. Iris and Cilan had already left for Unova, having to had to leave for business reasons. Clemont and Bonnie were going back home to Kalos to fulfill their respective dreams. And Serena was going to go through the Johto Sliver Conference in hopes of becoming the Champion of Johto... and get her mind off Ash.

And Ash... Pokémon Master Ash Ketchum. He was planning on traveling around the world to capture and train more Pokémon as well as his own for a whole year till the next Masters League. The Masters League was an event held every two years where the Pokémon Master would battle each other till all but one is defeated and proclaimed Grand Master. The next Masters League would have the current Grand Master, some guy by the name of Red, defending his title. However, Red has been the Grand Master for five competitions in a row and had a perfect undefeated streak. But this didn't faze Ash Ketchum one bit. He was determined as ever to take down each Master one by one and claim the title.

Now if only _she _could go with him.

By the time dinner was over, the sun was setting and the group met outside to say their goodbyes. Misty stayed inside for she had to answer a call that was for her. While waiting for her to come out, Ash and Pikachu, who was sitting on Ash's shoulder, turned to face their friends. "Well, I guess this is it, guys."

"Yeah," Brock said sadly. "Despite the fact that we faced more near death experiences in this one quest than any other journey we had together, it was fun traveling with you again, Ash. I... I hope we get to do it again sometime."

"Yeah," May said, also sad to split up with her friends again. "I always enjoyed traveling with you, Ash. And its always hard to say goodbye, especially to someone you see as a big brother."

"Remember, Ash," Max said, "you still owe me a battle when I turn 10."

Ash laughed and ruffled Max's hair. "I won't forget. I'll be waiting for you on the battlefield. He then turned to Drew who was holding May's hand. "Take good care of them for me, Drew. They're part of my family after all."

Drew smiled and nodded as he brought May into a side hug. "Will do."

"We all believe in you, Ash," Tracey spoke up.

"Thanks, Trace."

"Ash," Dawn said, getting his attention. "Maybe we'll see each other if you ever pass through Sinnoh again. You know, since you'll be touring the world catching Pokémon for the Masters League and all."

"Hey, when I go through Sinnoh again, I will make sure I visit you," Ash said with a sad smile.

"Good luck on the Masters League, Ashy-Boy," Gary said, actually sad that he was saying goodbye again to his rival. "Your just lucky you don't have to face me there."

"Ha ha! Right," Ash said as he shook his hand.

"We wish you luck on your journey, Ash," Clemont said.

"Yeah! And please don't forget about us when you become rich and famous!" Bonnie pleaded.

"I never will, Bonnie. And don't worry. This isn't goodbye forever. I promise to visit each and everyone of you every chance I get."

"Pikachu!' (Right!)

"...Ash?"

Ash turned his head to see Serena walk up to him, her hands behind her back and her eyes on the ground. "Serena?"

Serena took a deep breath and looked up at him. "I gotta leave pretty quickly so I'm going to say this fast... I know your heart belongs to Misty and vise versa. And you know what? I respect that. But I hope that despite my feelings towards you that we can... still be friends?"

Ash could tell she was nervous. They didn't really talk much since Ash woke up two months ago and Misty being Ash's girlfriend now made things a lot harder between the two. Nevertheless, Ash still wanted things to be good between him and her so without hesitation he smiled at her and raised his hand for her to shake. "Friends."

Serena smiled and shook his extended hand. "Well, I guess this is goodbye. Tell Misty that she should definitely consider herself lucky to have a boyfriend like you." Ash nodded and brought her in for a friendly huge. Then Serena said her goodbyes to everyone else and then left on the road to Johto. At that moment, Misty came back outside, with her backpack over her shoulder and some Pokéballs on her belt, just as Serena disappeared into the distance.

"Where's Serena going, Ash?" she asked her boyfriend.

Ash turned to his girlfriend and held her hand, giving it a light squeeze. He then turned his attention back to where Serena went. "Off to discover her dreams." Now the sadness of the situation hit Ash like a ton of bricks. He turned back to Misty with a sad expression on his face. "So, I guess... it's time for us to say goodbye, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Misty smiled and then turned towards Brock and the others and said "Well guys, this is goodbye. Thanks again for helping Ash save me."

"WAA!" Ash exclaimed, surprised that Misty wasn't saying goodbye to him. "Hey, what about saying goodbye to me?!"

Misty turned around and faked confusion. "Hmm? Now why would I say goodbye to you if we are traveling together, Ash?"

"Wait, WHAT?!"

"That's what I said, silly," she giggled at his expression. "I'm coming with you."

"Y-You are?!" Ash asked happily but then he frowned in confusion. "But... what about the gym? I mean, once its repaired, don't you have to go back to running it?"

"That's the thing, Ash. I don't have to. My sisters are going to take over for me."

"Your sisters?!" Ash thought this was completely unbelievable. "But Misty, I thought you didn't trust your sisters with the gym?"

"Yeah Misty. Didn't you say your sisters were now models on the Orange Islands."

"Correction, Tracey. WERE models. Because they left after hearing I was in trouble, they missed so many appointments the agency had to fire them. So now they are realizing that fame and glamor was fun while it lasted and they are finally ready to accept the responsibility of the gym, meaning that I am now free to do whatever I want." Misty then turned back to face Ash. "That was why I was making those calls. I was calling them to ask them if I could please go back to traveling with you. They were hesitant at first because of what happened, but I explained to them that I had forgiven you and that we were dating now. So they gave it some thought and called me back and that's when they told me they were going to take over the Gym anyway." She then grabbed both his hands and looked him in the eyes. "So what do you say, Ash? Will you take me as your traveling partner once again?"

Ash stared at the girl in front of him in amazement for a few seconds till he finally answered her... with a kiss. The kiss caught everyone else off guard, but that didn't stop them from cheering them on. After he broke the kiss, Ash looked Misty in the eyes. "I think you already know the answer to that." Misty smiled and gave Ash a warm hug, earning them some "Aww"s and tears from Brock. Then the two released each other but kept their hands held as they turned their gaze back towards their friends. Pikachu leaped and landed safely on Misty's shoulder as they got ready to leave. "Well, we best be on our way then. Thanks once again guys for aiding me on this quest. If it weren't for you guys, I probably never would've been able to save her."

"Anytime, Ash," Brock said. "We brothers got to stick together."

"You two take care of each other, ok?" said Tracey.

"Thanks guys."

"For everything," Misty added. And now it was time for them to be on their way. Ash, Misty, and the gang shared one last hug and then our two heroes walked off into the sunset, hand in hand and waving bye to their friends.

"Safe travels!" May and Max yelled as they all waved the two off.

"We'll miss you!" Dawn yelled.

"Piplup Piplup!" (See you later!)

"Smell ya' later!" Gary yelled, being himself.

"Keep in touch!" Clemont and Bonnie yelled at the same time. The group continued their waving to the young couple, until they could no longer see them.

"Well looks like everything really did work out in the end," Tracey said.

"No, not everything," Brock said sadly.

Everyone looked at him curiously as they started walking the opposite direction of the couple. "What do you mean, Brock?" asked Max.

Suddenly Brock starts crying hysterically. "I STILL DON'T HAVE A GIRLFRIEND!" Everyone, except a confused Clemont and Bonnie, groaned in annoyance at this and continued the road back to their respective homes.

Meanwhile with Ash and Misty, Ash had one last thing on his mind. "Hey Mist?"

Misty turned to look at him. "Yes Ashy?"

"Now that we are dating and everything,... do I still owe you that bike?"

Misty blinked at the mention of the bike. She forgot all about it. But then she smiled and said in a flirtatious manner, "Tell you what, if you like we could count our first date as payment for the bike."

Ash smiled. "Sounds good... And Mist?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you, my little mermaid."

"I love you too, my Pokémon Master."

And so the young couple, and the little yellow mouse, continued onward, both full with the happiness that only they could give each other. Now they continued on the road to start a new adventure... their first adventure out of many as lovers.

(Together Forever by J. P. Hartmann)

_You've been such a good friend,_

_I've known you since I don't know when._

_We've got lots of friends but they come and go._

_Even though we've never said it,_

_There's something that the two of us both know:  
_

_Together forever, no matter how long -_

_From now until the end of time._

_We'll be together, and you can be sure_

_That forever and a day,_

_That's how long we'll stay,_

_Together and forever more._

_Always gone that extra mile,_

_Depended on you all the while._

_Even in the good and bad times you will see -_

_From now until our journey's end, _

_You know you can always count on me._

_Together forever, no matter how long -_

_From now until the end of time._

_We'll be together, and you can be sure_

_That forever and a day,_

_That's how long we'll stay,_

_Together and forever more._

_No matter where our destiny leads,_

_I'll be there for you, _

_Always come through,_

_And that you can believe_

_You know, it's kind of funny how things work out in the end. Just a few months ago I thought I could never forgive Ash and that I would never be happy ever again. And now, here I am walking off into the sunset alongside him, my hand entangled in his with his love filling my once broken heart with joy. I guess I got my fairy tale ending after all. For the first time in a really long time, I'm happy! In fact, I've never remembered a time where I was ever this happy or anything close to it! Because now that I have my Prince Pokémon Charming as my boyfriend and soul mate, I can now say that my life... is perfect! Because I promise you... we will be... together forever!_

_Together forever, no matter how long -_

_From now until the end of time._

_We'll be together, and you can be sure_

_That forever and a day,_

_That's how long we'll stay,_

_Together and forever more._

**The End**

* * *

Jessie: That was a beautiful ending! Don't you agree James?

James: Indeed, Jessie! I don't remember ever crying so much over such an ending.

Meowth: Yeah. I's loved it.

Jessie: 'sniff' Now... you readers probably want to know why we are here.

James: We are simply here to set the record straight.

Meowth: Despite what this story has shown, no true harm came to any Pokémon whatsoever.

Jessie: That AND despite who was doing the evil deeds in this story, we hope you readers still know who the real villains of _Pokémon _are.

James: And we promise that one day we WILL catch that Pikachu.

Meowth: So until next time, folks...

All: TEAM ROCKET'S SIGNING OFF AGAIN!

WOBBUFFET!

* * *

And... IT IS FINISHED! IT IS FINALLY FINISHED! Thank you all again for reading, reviewing, favoriting and following this story! And now, it's complete! I hope you all stick around for future fan fictions from me cause you can be sure I will write a lot of them. And speaking of future fan fictions, I plan to make this story the first of a Pokeshipping trilogy. So if you all want me to go ahead and make this a trilogy, write it in your review that you want a sequel. If I get five reviews asking for a sequel, I will write a bonus chapter that will act as a teaser to a sequel. Until then, this is MarioBoss365 signing off. Thanks for reading.


	20. Bonus Chapter: Teaser to Endangered Love

Well, you guys seem to really want a sequel, so... I'll do it! _Pokémon: The Quest for Misty _is now officially the first part of a Pokeshipping trilogy! Now it will be a little while before I get started on the sequel, which I decided was going to be called _Pokémon: Endangered Love_, because there are two other Pokémon unrelated stories I want to do (I get to those at the end.) But until then, I have written this bonus chapter that will act as a teaser, or an after-credits scene if this was a movie, that will give a little hint of what dangers await Ash and Misty in _Endangered Love_ and quite possibly the third installment to the trilogy which shall remain titleless... for now.

So anyways, here is, I guess, chapter 20, the teaser to _Pokémon: Endangered Love._

I don't own Pokémon.

* * *

**Bonus Chapter: Teaser to **_**Endangered Love**_

Somewhere, in a secret place far, far away...

A shadowy figure sat in his chair watching them from his monitors from his dim lighted office as they walked away from the view the camera, cleverly hidden in the lamp post, was showing. The figure grinned wickedly while watching the young couple walking away together as he petted his faithful Persian, He snickered at them as they kept walking, believing that everything was right with their lives now.

Boy were they wrong.

Suddenly, the door opened and in came one of the figure's minions as he stood at attention. "Giovanni sir," the minion said, with upmost respect and a little fear towards the true leader of Team Rocket, "Agent X has arrived." As he said this, another figure entered the room. Because of the poor lighting, you couldn't see the identity of the one known as Agent X, except for the uniform that showed not an **R**, but instead a bold **X.**

"Thank you," Giovanni said while pausing the footage of the young couple and then turning around in his chair to face the grunt and Agent X. "Now, leave us." The grunt bowed in respect and left the room, leaving Giovanni, his Persian, and the mysterious agent to their selves.

"You called for me, my lord?" Agent X said in his gruff yet young voice.

Giovanni smiled and placed his hands together. "Yes, X. It appears we may finally have a solution to use in order to dispose that pest of a kid."

"You mean the Ketchum kid, right?"

"Correct." Giovanni than turned the video footage back on and showed Agent X footage of the Team Rocket members who were on the island getting arrested. "Thanks to that meddling kid, most of our agents are now in prison along with the one who they were stupid enough to believe was my son. However in the process, we found something that you may find interesting." He then showed footage of the battle that took place on the battle. Agent X watched as a huge group of Pokémon were fighting against a monstrous Pokémon he had never seen before. He then saw not too far from them the Ketchum kid fighting the kid who posed as Leader of Team Rocket. In the end, though Agent X could tell it wasn't easy, both the mysterious Pokémon and the imposter were taken down.

But what really caught his eye was what happened next. The Pokémon had survived and had grabbed a young red headed girl by the neck, strangling her and attempting to throw her into the volcano. However the girl was saved as Ketchum came and tackled the monster into the volcano, causing it to release the girl and fall into the volcano along with Ketchum. Agent X was about to say something about the supposed death of the kid, but was stopped by Giovanni. So he continued watching as a Psyduck, which apparently belonged to the girl, used Psychic to bring the boy back up. He was amazed when the duck evolved into a Golduck to give itself more strength to lift him up. The girl and her friends than brought the kid's unconscious body into a weird looking flying robot. X, however, wasn't paying attention to the robot, but to the girl who the boy had risked his life for. He watched as the girl was carrying the boy in her arms, with the help of an older boy, and had the expression of upmost worry and fear that it was too late to save Ketchum.

Giovanni than fast forward to the most recent footage he had of them. Apparently, Ketchum had survived and was now holding hands with the girl as they had just walked out of a Pokémon Center. Agent X watched as the two had stopped and turned to each other and started talking. Ketchum must of said something funny cause it got the girl to laugh and then kissed him on the lips, which turned into a make out session. The little Pikachu on Ketchum's shoulder, the main target for a certain trio of failure Team Rocket agents, squeaked and the two stopped, blushing. The two and their Pokémon than kept going on their way till they were out of camera range. After they left, Giovanni turned off the monitors and turned back to Agent X.

"So Agent," Giovanni said, "do you understand your mission?"

Agent x smiled evilly. "Yes sir." He then turned the monitors and rewind footage to where the girl was laughing and then paused it there. "If we want Ketchum out of the way for our plans to go underway, we must go after the one thing, or in this case,... the one person, he cares about more than anything and take her away from him." He then took out his gun and shot at the head of the girl on the TV, destroying it.

Two humans laughing sinisterly could then be heard throughout the entire building.

**To Be Continued in...**

_**Pokémon: Endangered Love**_

* * *

Dum Da Dum Dum! DUM! Excited yet? I hope so. Let me know in the reviews. I can't wait to get started on this sequel. Yeah, I know it was a short teaser but I think it will get you more excited for it. Now again, there are two projects I want to get started on before I touch _Endangered Love._ These are the two fan fictions you can expect to see next from me: a Super Mario Bros. fan fic about Mario and the gang finding themselves in a universe where everything is the opposite of their universe such as Peach being a wicked and evil queen, with Mario and Luigi as her evil warlords and Bowser being a kind, heroic King of the Koopas. Then, I'll be doing a Avengers/JLA-like origin story of Super Smash Bros. Hope you guys enjoy those and the rest of the fanfics I will write in the future. This is MarioBoss365 signing off.


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